The Way We Were
by Blue Twilight
Summary: COMPLETE. Can they ever get back to the way they were before the plane crash? Pairings: mainly JK and CC.
1. The Darkness

**Summary**

Can they ever get back to the way they were before the plane crash?  
Pairings: mainly J/K, with some C/C.

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Hello again! Here goes my second Lost fan-fic. Firstly, thanks again to everyone for the great reviews from my first story, **Waves**. It sounds like a lot of people were interested in a post-rescue fic, and this is going to be one soon. This is going to be AU, I'm not taking into account certain new discoveries on the island (like the existence of other people).

Hope you enjoy!

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**The Way We Were**

"We are never going to get off this damn island, are we? I don't know how much more of this I can take, Kate."

Jack shook his head, looking helplessly at his dwindling supply of antibiotics and bandages. Kate reached over and gently stroked his right arm. "Don't give up, Jack. You're doing great considering the circumstances."

"Thanks." He smiled sadly at her. His hope had left him long ago. At times like these, Kate was the only thing on the island that he felt he could hold on to and find solace in.

"Jack, what happened to your arm?"

Jack looked down at the long scar on his arm. "It's from the cave collapse. No big deal,"

Kate looked at him and held her left arm next to his, revealing a scar of the same shape in the exact same location. "From falling from that tree."

"Matching scars, eh?" He smiled again.

Kate returned his smile, then cocked her head and looked into his eyes."Think it means something?"

Jack had prepared to make a joking retort about them being "meant to be", but he stopped when he saw that the look in her eyes was serious. She leaned closer to him, and he found himself wondering if maybe it wasn't a joke after all. He reached out to softly stroke her cheek and she leaned her head into his hand. Jack whispered, "Maybe it means…"

He was stopped by Kate's mouth covering his. Suddenly, he forgot all about the thousand more tasks he had to do and the lack of supplies. The only thing he could think of was Kate. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Both of them simultaneously wondered why it had taken them so long to realize how right this was. _Maybe we are meant to be…_

A loud crash from somewhere within the tress brought them both back to reality.

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"Claire, please let me help you with that." Claire laughed and shook her head as Charlie rushed to her side and took the bag of food she was carrying. She had never liked getting special attention, especially as a result of her pregnancy, but for reasons unbeknownst to her she didn't mind Charlie's antics. In fact, she found them quite sweet. Ever since she had tripped over a fallen branch and scraped her leg, however, he rarely left her side, and Claire was starting to feel like a helpless little dog on a leash.

"Come on, give it back. I'm not handicapped, I can carry a bag."

Charlie reluctantly gave the bag back to her. "Are you sure you're alright with that? It was pretty heavy."

"It was about five pounds! Oh, of course, Charlie. I'm going to be perfectly…" Suddenly, she stumbled. Charlie caught her and helped her to sit down. Moaning, she held her head in her hands. "Oh, Charlie, I don't know what's happening. My head hurts terribly." Abruptly she looked up at him. "Something's going to happen. Something…"

"Oh my God." Charlie's eyes widened and Claire spun around. He put his arm around her as they saw a large cloud of blackness rising from the center of the jungle and slowly spreading out. "What is that thing?" Hurriedly, they ran down to the beach with most of the others, keeping an eye on the strange apparition.

There was a resounding silence for a couple of minutes, when they unexpectedly heard a loud crash come from deep inside the jungle. By that time, every one of the survivors had rushed down to the beach. Jack and Kate stood together, hearts racing with fear and a strange emotion that still lingered from their encounter just moments ago. Together, they watched as the dark shape expanded and pushed towards them. Trees seemed to just disappear into nothingness as it passed over them. Soon, it seemed, the very sun would be blotted from the sky.

"What is that thing, Dad?" Walt, asked, scared.

"I don't know, son." Michael pulled him closer. _Why now?_ He asked himself. _Why am I going to die now that I am just getting to know my son?_ Sadly, he glanced over at his fellow doomed survivors. Hurley, Sawyer, and Sayid stood fast, but he could tell that on the inside they were quaking. Jin and Sun held fast to each other. Michael tried to suppress the urge to run to Sun and comfort her along with Walt. For some reason, he felt a special bond with her. He had been interested to see what ended up happening with them, but now he'd never know.

"Daddy, what is Mr. Locke doing?!" Michael's eyes followed his son's pointing finger to see Locke walking slowly towards the black cloud, which had proceeded by now so that it had enveloped the entire group of tress. It began to seep out towards the beach.

Cautiously, Locke approached the edge of the shadows. As he got closer, he felt increasingly more pain. The circular cut on his hand that he had gotten from last night's boar hunt felt like it was on fire. Nonetheless, Locke knew that he couldn't turn back. _I can do anything I want _to, he told himself. _I am not a coward. This is my Walkabout._

He reached his hand out towards the shadows. The instant they touched him, he was gone. The onlookers couldn't believe their eyes. All of a sudden, they heard a low humming noise that quickly grew into a shriek. The blackness seemed to explode from with in and rush out towards them.

Kate screamed and Jack pulled her closer to him.

All of them closed their eyes as the coming dark enveloped them.

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When they finally awoke, all they could see was white.

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Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know how you liked it and if you want to see another chapter.


	2. Lest We Forget

Thanks to **smilez4eva**,**a.k.a.-ashley**, **kate ****and jack**, **suspencer**, **OctoberSky**, **litgal**, **MizSniz**, and **xeledhwenx** for the reviews so far!

Just so you know, I will try to update as regularly as I can, but I've been inundated with work lately. Therefore, these updates may take slightly longer than the first, but I'll try to make sure that they are up at least weekly. Because the time between them will be a bit longer, I will make sure the chapters are longer.

Also, let me clarify the time setting. This is AU after "All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues".

**Disclaimer:** I forgot this last chapter, but I'm sure you all know that the characters in this story who are from _Lost_ are not mine and I claim no right to them.

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**Lest We Forget…**

"Dr. Shepard? Dr. Shepard! Hurry, Dr. Rom, he's waking up!"

"They're all waking up, Nurse Branson. I'll be right there as soon as I stabilize Mr. Locke here. He was the first to open his eyes. Hurry and get all the available doctors and nurses in here. It seems like we're going to have all 46 finally come out of those comas."

"Oh, thank God. The families will be so relived."

"Hopefully."

"What's that supposed to mean, Doctor?"

"Never mind. Look, here come the other doctors. Amazing, there are no less than 20. Slow day, I suppose."

"Dr. Rom, I'm here. Your expertise is needed down in the psychiatric ward. Your patient is acting up again."

"Again? Oh, well, thank you, Dr. Carter. I'll go right now to see that patient."

"Yes, Dr. Rom. Good luck with that woman."

"Dr. Carter?"

"Yes, Nurse Branson?"

"Do you think we should wake them up?"

"No, let them come around by themselves."

"Yes, good idea. I'm sorry, Dr. Carter, I should know better. I'm just so excited that they are finally awakening. And all at the same time, fancy that!"

"I myself am intrigued to hear what they have experienced. They must all have fascinating stories to tell."

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_Dr. Shepard?_

Jack regained consciousness slowly. He heard a voice he didn't recognize calling his name in the distance. He opened his eyes, then quickly closed them again. There was blinding white all around him._ Where am I?_ he wondered.

_Good luck with that woman._

Charlie shifted his weight uncomfortably. _So I'm lying down somewhere. Hmm, it feels like a bed. But who is speaking? What woman, Claire? What happened to her – is she alright? _He sighed softly. He had so many questions, but his eyes seemed near glued shut. Concentrating hard, he made a great effort to push them open.

_Let them come around by themselves._

The first thing that Claire did when she became conscious was to place her hand on her stomach. It was instinctive- she could not feel secure until she felt her child kick in her womb. _That's odd_, she thought. It had taken her an unusual amount of effort to move her hand even slightly. _What is going on?_

Claire started to worry. She hadn't been this confused since she was kidnapped on the island. Luckily, she had managed to break free from Ethan and get back to the camp unharmed. It was the knowledge that she had to keep her child safe that had given Claire the strength to get away, and she drew on that strength now. Bracing herself, she forced her eyes open. At first, she was blinking so rapidly that she couldn't see anything except white light. Finally, her vision cleared and she realized where she was. _I'm in a…_

_They must all have fascinating stories to tell._

_A hospital? How did I get here?_ Kate tried to sit up, but could not. She was overcome with curiosity as to how she had gone from an island slowly disappearing into darkness to a clean, white, modern hospital. Many crazy ideas flicked through her mind, but she couldn't find one good reason. She was so absorbed in thought that she hadn't noticed the young nurse who was sitting beside her bed.

Finally, the woman spoke. "Do you feel okay, miss?"

Kate turned her head to look at the woman. "How did I get here?"

The nurse looked concerned. "You don't remember the plane crash?"

"Of course I remember the crash! How could I forget? I mean, how did we get off the island?"

"The island?"

"Yes, the one we were stranded on for days."

"Mam, you crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Let me explain. There was something in the oxygen masks you put on as the plane was going down. Apparently, the

"They all know each other's names?!" Nurse Branson looked around her in disbelief. "Oh my."

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"Excuse me, Dr. Rom?"

"Yes, Dr. Carter?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt…"

"It isn't a problem. I got that patient under control, I'm just finishing up some paper work."

"Well, the strangest thing happened today with the crash victims. I know it's crazy and seemingly impossible, but they all know each other. Nurse Branson told me that she was certain they didn't all know each other before the crash, so I don't understand it. They're calling each other by name, and they know things that they really should not know."

"Interesting. What else are they saying?"

"Well, every one of them is telling the same story. They all believe that they were on a mysterious island. They set up camps and thought they were alone, but there was some sort of monster there that killed the pilot. Also, they found a crazy woman and a very bad man in their last two days there. They all saw an overpowering blackness, then they awoke."

"The mind has fascinating capapbilities, Doctor. We will never fully understand it. This case is obviously quiet exceptional, but I believe that none pose a threat to themselves or anyone else. It will be best if they can get home to their families and readjust to everyday life as soon as possible. With exception of the pregnant woman, Claire I believe her name is, you may release all of tomorrow morning."

"I will."

"Remember, Dr. Carter, release her under NO circumstances, do you understand?"

"Yes, Doctor, I do. Good night."

"Goodnight."

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The next morning:

"Is your name Charlie?"

"Yes, Claire, of course it is. Are you okay?"

"I don't know. By all accounts we shouldn't know each other's names."

Charlie thought for a moment. "I suppose that is true. Regardless of _how_ we know each other, though, the important thing is that we know each other in the first place. This isn't going to be a fun couple of weeks coming up, there'll be lots of readjusting. Maybe we can help each other, you know?"

"That would be very nice. I'm a stranger to the United States, I could use a helpful person showing me around as soon as I get out of this hospital."

"Honestly, I only know the hot clubs here in L.A.

Claire smiled. "How romantic." The instant that left her mouth, she wished she could take it back. _What was I thinking? "Romantic"?_ It was one thing to love a man who she had gotten to know and who had been there for her for awhile. However, she knew she couldn't let herself forget that Charlie was, in fact, a stranger. "I mean, that would be nice, I suppose. Visiting hours start here at 8 AM. I was thinking that maybe you could stop by if you had some free time."

"I promise, Claire, I'll be right back here tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Charlie. I just don't want to be alone right now."

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"So, then I guess this is goodbye." Kate looked sadly up at Jack. Somehow, the idea of leaving and never seeing him again felt unreal to her. She could barely imagine a life without him. She searched his face and found the answer that she had both feared and hoped for. He was feeling the same thing.

"I won't forget you, Kate." For what would surely be the last time, she went into his arms. He never wanted to let her go. Kate buried her face in his chest, unable to hold back her tears. _At least he knows what he's going back to. He knows where he is going home to. I'm just going back to a life of running. God help me, I'm starting to think that I might have been better off if we had never gotten off the island. Or woken up, whatever. I just can't believe that was all a dream when what I'm feeling is so real._

At the same time, Jack was struck by the realization that that he was currently embracing a total stranger. A stranger who might even be some type of criminal, in fact. This knowledge, however, did not in the least change what he was feeling.

"Jack!" she whispered. "Look."

As he turned to face her, Kate saw the tears in his eyes that he was unsuccessfully trying to hide. Slowly, those eyes traveled down to her outstretched arm. "Oh, my God."

The matching scars from his cave collapse and her fall were still present on their arms. "But how? These couldn't possibly be from the plane crash. That was in an ocean. Your arm still has some small splinters from the tree, for one thing."

"And look at Locke's hand, Jack! That is a wound made by a boar tusk."

Jack's pulse quickened, but he forced himself to calm down. "Maybe it was just from the crash, though. I guess that might make sense. Maybe we're just over-reacting, Kate."

She turned to look at him. "And maybe we're not."

"Jack! Oh, thank the Lord! Jack, I thought I was never going to see you again!" Jack's mother threw her arms around him, sobbing.

Jack hugged her in return. He looked over her shoulder to see Kate slowly walking away. He watched her move away into the crowd. The crowd that should be strangers, but somehow weren't. He knew where everyone was headed: Jin and Sun were going to their new temporary home, Sawyer was preparing for some trouble, Sayid was escaping his hold life, Walt was trying to adjust to his new father, Locke was going back to his hated old job, and Boone and Shannon were simply going home. And Kate…

He wondered what was going to happen to Kate. The thought of her being lost and alone was enough to bring him real pain. Never before had he imagined that he would grow to feel this way about a woman. He had finally met the person he could have shared his life with. Now, she had disappeared forever.

_I was never going to see you again. _He knew the words would haunt him for the rest of his life.

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Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter!


	3. Move On

Thanks to **a.k.a.-ashley**, **smilez4eva, Writing Squirrel, nica, xeledhwenx,** and** Charley&Claire**for the reviews!

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters in this story are my own creation.

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**Move On**

_"Jack! Jack, please help me! Jack! Where are you?"_

Jack's eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. _What happened now?_ He thought. _Where's Kate? Did she go into the jungle alone?_ He hurriedly moved to get up, pushing aside the soft sheets and bedding. _Sheets? On the island?_ He sank back down as he suddenly recalled the events of the day before. He had only been dreaming the island, apparently, but it definitely felt real to him. He had been fully expecting to wake up in the caves that had now become as familiar to him as his own bed.

Not that he was even in his own bed now. His mother had refused to allow him to go home to his apartment – she had insisted that she stay in the guest room. At first, it was because she wanted to take care of him. After hearing the fate of his father, however, it seemed more like Jack was going to have to take care of his mom.

Lying back down, Jack closed his eyes and tried to force his mind to consider his job or his mother or Lorraine. All his thoughts kept coming back to just one person: Kate.

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"Jack. Oh, Jack, I'm so glad you're here, I need this now, I need you…"

"Whoa, lady. Who the hell is Jack?"

"What?" It was Kate's turn to sit up in surprise. Glancing around rapidly, she saw that she was on a hard couch in a small, dank room that, from the sound of it, was located somewhere near central L.A. Blankly, she gazed over at the disgruntled-looking man looking at her with a mix of annoyance and amusement.

"The name's Darvey and, uh, in case you don't recall, I told ya that ya could sleep in this here shack if ya was quiet and not a disruption to me. Somehow, I'm thinking that you makin' out with some imaginary dude isn't bein' quiet and/or non-disruptive. Comprende?"

Kate blushed a deep scarlet as she nodded consent. Turning her back to him, she once again laid down and tried to get comfortable on the couch. She could still hear Darvey chuckling to himself as he nodded off. No matter what she tried, she could not fall asleep again.

Yes, she had dreamed of Jack. Crazy as it seemed, she could not get him out of her mind or her heart. She should have been able to dismiss it by now if it was all just in her head. But he had felt the connection, too, hadn't he? Leaving him had been hard for her, now she knew she wouldn't get the chance to say a real goodbye.

Sighing, Kate once again reminded herself that it had all been a dream. A nightmare, even. Try as she might, though, the feelings would not erase. She knew she had lost it. What other explanation could there be? Kate could not understand the fact that she felt no need for food, shelter, or safety if only she could once more be held in Jack's arms.

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"You came!"

Charlie smiled, but was taken aback at the surprise and delight in Claire's voice. "You seriously thought I might have abandoned you? Poppycock. I would never."

"I'm sorry if I insulted you, Charlie. I've just been, well, more than a little scared lately."

"No problem. I could definitely see why."

"Well, I actually did get good news today. Nurse Branson said that she doesn't think the baby's coming for at least two week, so they may let me out within the next day or too."

"That's great, Claire. I'm very happy for you."

"There is one favor I have to ask, though. If this is too intrusive, please tell me and I'll understand. Do you think I could stay at your place for a little after I'm released? Just until I find my own apartment and locate that couple who wanted to adopt the baby so I can afford the rent."

"Of course, but don't you want to go back home to Australia?"

"Actually, no. There's nothing for me there anymore. And I can't face anyone I knew there again, not after everything that happened."

"Now it's my turn to be intrusive. May I ask what happened?"

"It's a long story."

"We have all day."

Claire spent the rest of the day telling Charlie about her life in Australia. Towards the end of it, she finally began to realize why she liked this man so much. He looked at her like she was the most important person in the world and he seemed to hang on her every word. No one had ever shown her that much respect before. Even if she really had never met him before yesterday, Claire had a strong feeling that she and Charlie shared a special bond.

Both Charlie and Claire were disappointed when, at exactly 8:00, the nurse came in to Claire's room. "Visiting hours are over. I'm sorry, sir, but you must leave."

Claire smiled sweetly and looked pleadingly up at Nurse Branson, who was her favorite member of the hospital staff. "Please, Nurse. Can't he stay just a little longer?"

"Claire, you'll have plenty of time with your boyfriend tomorrow, darling. It's against the rules, though I don't see why unmarried couples can't stay together in hospitals. It's not right to the father."

Both blushed at the nurse's assumption. Claire opened her mouth to clarify when Dr. Rom leaned into the doorway. "Is there a problem, here? Visiting hours are officially over at this point."

Nodding at the doctor, Charlie turned back to Claire. "The doc says that our time is up. But, I promise, I'll be back tomorrow and we'll work it all out."

He turned to leave, but Claire caught his hand. Looking into his eyes, she said softly, "Thank you, Charlie. We both thank you with all our hearts."

Charlie slowly leaned down and kissed Claire's hand softly. The doctor cleared his throat. Looking up, Charlie managed a smile again and tried to retain a clam demeanor while leaving the room escorted by Nurse Branson. As he walked out of the hospital toward the old motel he was staying in, he marveled at how much Claire had come to mean to him. Silently, he vowed that he would never let any harm befall her or her still unborn child.

In the hospital, Claire leaned back against the soft bed. Her eyes were about to close when her doctor entered the room and stood over her. "Claire, I regret to inform you that I have further researched your case and I believe that it is crucial for me to keep you here at least until the baby is born."

"But, Doctor…"

"No buts, Claire. You want the child to be safe, don't you?"

"Yes. More than anything."

"Good. Then I suggest you follow my orders." Briskly, he turned to leave.

"Doctor! I have one more question. I'm sorry, but I never quite got your name."

Slowly, he turned back and stared hard at Claire. "My name is Dr. Rom." Claire began to feel a chill creep down her spine for reasons she couldn't understand. The doctor moved closer to her. "Dr. Ethan Rom."

Claire gasped. She was paralyzed with fear. She finally choked out, "Ethan? Not…"

"I'm here for you, Claire."

He stepped still closer. Claire released a bloodcurdling cream. "Charlie!!"

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This was a relatively short chapter, but it's setting up for the next one, which is going to be a lot longer. Let me know what you thought! Also, please tell me if you want to hear more about any of the other characters. I'm still trying to decide whether it would be useful to keep them in the story. Tell me in your review! 


	4. The Things We Left Behind

Thanks to **smilez4eva**,**a.k.a.-ashley**, **The Pirate Illusionist**, **showmethehobbit, litgal, Evermore, Writing Squirrel, ****kate and jack**, and **xeledhwenx** for the reviews!

I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying the story. This chapter will be focused on Jack, Kate, Charlie, and Claire, but the others are definitely coming back in later on.

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters in this story are my own creation.

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**The Things You Left Behind **

Charlie froze in the middle of the street, causing cars to abruptly halt and drivers to scream out curses at him. Blindly, he whirled around and ran as fast as he could back towards the hospital. He didn't know why, but he just had a horrible feeling that Claire was in trouble. Pushing through the door, he rushed pass security to the elevator bank. When none came, he turned a corner and dashed up four flights of stairs, chased by two guards. Finally, he reached her floor and raced down the hall to her room. Throwing open the door, he stepped inside and found… nothing.

He stood in shocked silence as the guards came up and grabbed him. "Who are you and what the hell did you think you were doing?"

"Please, you have to tell me where Claire is. I think she's in trouble."

"I'm sorry, sir but we're going to have to take you down to the station."

"No! Please, I'm Charlie Pase and, see; I'm… um, the baby's father!"

"You are the father of Claire Littleton's child?"

"Yes, I most certainly am."

The first guard raised a skeptical eyebrow, but the second loosened his grip on Charlie and offered, "How about we take you down to Dr. Rom and we'll see what he says, okay?"

"Umm…."

The first guard smirked. "Good idea, let's go. And for your sake, let's hope he confirms your identity."

They brought Charlie down to the front desk and waited as the intern paged Dr. Rom from the mental ward. When he appeared, an involuntary shiver ran down Charlie's spine. _Where do I know him from?_ he asked himself.

Ethan laughed after hearing the guards' question. "He is most certainly not the father. In fact, he is only a somewhat deranged man who has an unhealthy obsession with that patient, which is why I had to move her." The laughter left his eyes and he turned to glare icily at Charlie. "This man is henceforth banned from hospital grounds. Would one of you please escort him down to the police station for breaking and entering?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"And Mr. Bracket," he added, addressing the guard but looking directly at Charlie. "Call me _Ethan_, please."

"Yes, um, Ethan. I'll take him down right now."

Charlie began to struggle as the guard grabbed him and the full meaning of what was happening hit him. "Ethan! No, please! Don't hurt her. Please, don't hurt her!"

"Poor, deranged man. I have no intention of hurting _her_."

"The baby. Oh my God, he's after the baby." The words came out in a choked whisper as Charlie found himself being pushed roughly into a car. All he could see throughout the entire ride was the malicious grin on Ethan's face. All he could hear as he was walked into the Los Angeles County Prison and shut in a small cell were Claire's anguished screams for help ringing in his ears.

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The next morning, Jack was still wrestling within himself as he slowly mounted the steps of that same prison. He was about to make a decision that could change everything, and he still wasn't sure if he wanted to take that step.

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That morning, he had been awoken from a restless sleep by a phone ringing next to his bed. Knowing that his mother was out, he had forced himself to sit up and answer the phone. "Hello?"

"Jack?"

"Kate?!"

"Yes, it's me. Jack, I need help. I understand completely if you don't want to get involved in this mess, but you're the only one I know here."

"What's wrong?"

"They found me. The bastard I was crashing with turned me in for a reward. I'm in jail...."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm… I think I'll be alright…"

Jack did not miss the tremor in her voice as she said this. "No, Kate, really."

"Honestly, Jack, I'm scared. There's this guy here…"

"Hey, Bradley! You're time is up. Get off the phone now."

Jack heard every word of the warden's comments. "Listen, Kate, I'll come down there to see you, okay?"

"Oh, Jack, you don't have to. Actually, I think maybe this was a mistake, you shouldn't get involved…"

"No, Kate. I'm coming."

"But…"

"Bradley!" Jack listened as the phone was wrenched from her hands and slammed down on the receiver.

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Now, Jack wasn't sure if he would be able to help Kate in any way. _Maybe just moral support?_ Again, it occurred to him how bizarre this entire circumstance was. He approached the Visitor's Clearance Area and was stopped by a burly guard in uniform. "Name?"

"Dr. Jack Shepard."

"Who are you here to visit, Dr. Shepard?" he asked, making a note in his file.

"Ms. Kate, um… He paused to recall the name he had heard screamed through the phone. "Um, Bradley. Right. Kate Bradley."

The guard looked suspiciously at Jack, then asked, "What is your relation to her?"

Jack smiled. _Well, actually we were on the same plane that crashed and we both went into a coma and dreamed about an island upon which we developed a relationship and even after we woke up we still know each other somehow. _Jack thought a moment, and replied, "I'm a friend."

A half hour later, after being put through numerous screens and interviews, Jack found himself in a large community room that had rows of tables of convicts, some meeting with friends or relatives and others just lounging around. Finally, he saw Kate sitting alone at the table. She was relatively easy to spot, as she was the only woman in the entire prison. He slid into the seat across from her, and her pensive face lit up when she saw him. "So, you came?"

"Of course, I said I was going to."

"Yeah, but most people get discouraged when they realize that they'll be waiting for about an hour for a ten minute visit."

"Once I make a commitment, I like to keep it."

"Good. I'm glad you did." She looked up into his eyes. She was ashamed that he was seeing her like this, but at the same time she found his presence strangely comforting.

For a few moments, Jack and Kate just looked at each other. Finally, she shyly looked down at her hands. Jack racked his brain for something to say.

"So, um, how's life?" Jack winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth. _How could I have asked such a dumb question?!"_

Kate smiled sadly at the look on his face. "Well, it's not good. It's kind of hard being the only woman here, but, you know, I can handle it. I've dealt with worse."

Jack suddenly felt very protective of her. "Can you afford to get out of here?"

"The bail is over $500,000. I can't afford a meal, let alone that." Sadly, she looked up at the clock behind him. "It's time for you to go. Thanks for coming down here, it really meant a lot."

"I promise I'll come visit again, Kate. I hope you're okay here."

"I can handle it. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." He rose and walked past the rows of convicts sitting hunched over at cold metal tables. As he exited the big room and the guard closed the door behind him, Jack couldn't help but feel relieved. He turned back once more to look through the window at Kate and stopped dead in his tracks.

Two men had walked over and had sat on either side of the small bench that Kate was sitting on. The first one was leering and talking dirty while the second one ran his fingers through her hair. Obviously disgusted, she attempted to stand up but both grabbed her legs and held her down. The first one leaned closer and began to whisper something to her that made her eyes widen. She great more agitated and struggled harder to get up, but the second one pulled down harder on her hair.

Jack was horrified. Turing to the guard, he said, "Excuse me, Sir, but shouldn't someone help her?"

"Who, Bradley? She's tough, she'll be fine. The guys are just roughing her up a bit. Don't worry, man, she'll be sent up to the women's prison in just a couple of weeks, okay?" The guard shook his head and literally turned his back to the situation.

Not satisfied, Jack glanced back and saw to his horror that tears were sliding down her cheeks. He had never seen her break like that before. "One more thing, Sir."

"Yes?"

"Who would I speak to in order to pay her bail?"

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Jack watched Kate across the table as she ate ravenously. After seeing what those men were doing to her, he had had no choice in his mind but to take her home. She had cried and thanked him the entire car ride back to his mother's. Now, he had prepared some lunch and they were both waiting for Deborah to arrive home, Jack was worried about how his mom would react to Kate, but tried not to let it show.

Kate looked up from her food at the sound of a car pulling into the long driveway. She and Jack rose and walked into the front hall to meet Deborah Shepard. She shifted nervously as keys turned in the lock. She had never before been in a house this nice or had a meal that good, and she knew that it was just too great to last. She felt that here was no way that Jack's mother was going to let her stay.

Deborah entered and froze in the doorway when she saw Kate, still wearing the messy clothes that she had left the hospital in. "Who are you?"

"Mom," Jack said, stepping toward her. "This is Kate Bradley. She is my friend from the plane and she's going to be staying with us for a little, okay?"

"Well, hello, Kate. Jack?" she said, forcing a big smile. "May I talk to you in the kitchen now? Alone?"

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Claire sat miserably in the padded chair by the window. She hated being in this all white room constantly. It was supposed to be calming, but instead it made her feel like an experiment in a laboratory. She hated Ethan right now. She just couldn't trust him, she knew in her gut that he wanted to hurt her baby. And now he had locked her here where she couldn't escape him.

Sighing, she scanned the faces around her for any sympathy. Most people's eyes were completely blank. Finally, her gaze rested on the woman sitting in the chair next to her. She had long, unkempt hair and looked like she had been through some very hard times. Her eyes, however, were focused and full of life.

The woman obviously felt herself being watched, as she quickly turned to face Claire. "Hello. So, what are you doing here in the psychiatric ward?"

Claire immediately responded, "Well, you see, I don't belong here."

To her surprise, the strange woman threw her head back and laughed. "Why, none of us really belong here. Think about it. Who really is to judge who is crazy and who is sane? Who's to say that everyone out there is the crazy ones and that you or I is the only sane person on this earth. Maybe we live in an alternate reality, but what is reality anyway? If I'm feeling something, it is real to me. Shouldn't that be all that matters?"

Claire cocked her head, fascinated. "I never thought about it that way before."

"Well, it's true."

Claire smiled. "I'm Claire. What's your name?"

"I'm Danielle. Danielle Rousseau."

Claire's smile brightened even more. _Finally_, she thought._ A name that I don't recognize. I never thought I'd be this happy to meet a total stranger._

* * *

First of all, quick note. I know the description of what her crime actually was here is vague – I did that purposely. The episode where we find out her crime is coming up in three weeks, and I don't want to make something up and then have the show be something completely different. Therefore, what she did is going to be a little hazy the next couple chapters, but I promise that I'll include it and elaborate it here as soon as we find out. Hope that's not a problem for anyone!

Second, I know the last couple of chapters haven't had a lot of romance in them. The next couple will have a lot more!

Also, as always, I love getting reviews – I want to know what you think!

From now on I will update every Friday, as that is the best day for me to get some time to write. Check back then for the next chapter, in which Jack and Kate explore their relationship and Charlie comes up with a plan to save Claire.

Edited to change two last names. Thanks to **smilez4eva** and **Oreata** for providing the correct ones!


	5. The Best Friend I Ever Had

More thanks to **smilez4eva**,**a.k.a.-ashley**, **scrawn**, **Oreata, Miss Krux, showmethehobbit, Freckles, suspencer, Lovely Story, Writing Squirrel, xeledhwenx**, and **litgal** for their reviews!

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters in this story are my own creation. Thanks again as well to Jung for his theory of synchronicity, which I use often in my stories.

* * *

**The Best Friend I Ever Had… **

"Jack! Who exactly is this woman that you are bringing into my house?"

"I told you, Mom, her name is Kate."

Deborah Shepard shook her head in disbelief. "Isn't that the convict from the plane?!"

Jack shifted uncomfortably. "Um…"

"Jack! What has come over you lately? Why would you risk everything to help a woman you don't even know?!"

"But I do know her! I know that you think it's crazy, but we really did get to know each other well on the island."

"Have you been drinking, Jack? You're talking crazy like…" Deborah broke off and looked away.

"Like Dad, you mean?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. That was out of line. But, please, think logically about this. It makes no sense."

"I don't know what makes sense anymore, Mom. The one thing I do know, however, is that she is my friend, and if she's not welcome here then I can easily go back to my apartment."

Deborah looked aghast. "Please, Jack, don't leave me alone. I need someone to be here with me, at least until your father's funeral is over."

"Then she stays."

Deborah nodded, defeated. Jack looked at his shoes. He hated having to give his mother an ultimatum like that, but he knew that there was no other way that she would have allowed Kate to stay.

Taking a deep breath as if to gather her strength, Deborah marched into the hallway in which Kate was still standing awkwardly. "Hello, Kate. You are, of course, welcome at my house."

Kate did not miss the antipathy in her voice. Wincing slightly, she replied, "I am very grateful for that."

Deborah looked Kate over with disdain. "Of course, you'll need some new clothes. I will take you shopping first thing in the morning."

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Shepard."

"Please, don't mention it. Really. Don't."

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Charlie pressed his hands against the cold bars of his cell and closed his eyes. It was his first night in prison and he felt completely useless. _Claire needs my help and I'm stuck here! _His fingers began tapping involuntarily. His cell mate, a big burly man, was awoken by the noise of Charlie's ring clicking against the gate. "Hey, man," he said. "Need a hit or something?"

Charlie looked down at his hand. In his dream he had quit drugs, but now… "What ya got?"

The man opened his mouth, then quickly shut it at the sound of the warden's boots pounding the floor approached. "Pase!" he called.

"Yes, sir?"

"You're out of here. We don't have time for petty one-time offenders like you, but trust me, if it happens again we won't be as nice. Stay away from that pregnant girl, okay?"

"Of course." As he was being led out, Charlie glanced back longingly at the drug-dealer.

The warden jerked Charlie forward as he barked to the corrections officers, "Here's another one getting out."

The first officer shook his head. "Darn shame. We all know that these guys are just gonna end up right back here. I'd give this one a week before we see him again."

The warden nodded. "I know. Why _are_ we doing this?"

The second officer finally spoke up. "Hey, you never really know what'll happen. I mean, you know. It could be synchronicity."

Charlie, the warden, and the first officer all stared up at him blankly. "You know, Jung? "Everything happens for a reason"? Who knows, maybe this guy'll save someone's life or something."

Charlie still heard the other two men laughing as he stepped out into the cool night air. _Everything happens for a reason, eh? Maybe. I mean, I guess I was taken out of the cell just before I turned back to drugs._ _That's good. And now I'll be able to go help Claire._ He picked up his pace. _And it's pretty coincidental that I even know her in the first place to rescue her!_ He broke into a run until he reached the front door of the hospital. _I guess that theory thing makes a lot of sense, then._

Charlie had no clue who this Jung guy was, but he thought that he seemed like a pretty smart guy.

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After an awkward attempt at conversation and an even more awkward dinner, all three were relived when Kate expressed her exhaustion. Smiling for the first time all day, Deborah turned and addressed her son. "Jack, please show Kate to the second guest bedroom on the right."

Jack rolled his eyes. His mom always liked to make her four bedroom colonial sound like a wealthy Victorian mansion.

Noting his gesture, Deborah gave him a disproving look as she continued. "Provide her with clean sheets and show her the bathroom and other points of interest."

Jack coughed to suppress a smirk and led Kate upstairs. Once they were out of his mother's range of hearing, he chuckled. Assuming a thick British accent, he said, "And this, madam, is the fourth bedroom on the right side, which is strategically located next to the fifth pantry. Other points of interest include the second floor landing and the lovely flower arrangement hanging on the banister."

Kate nearly doubled over trying not to laugh out loud. "Shhh. Your mom may hear and get angry."

Jack's attempt at a serious only resulted in both of them laughing harder. When they finally regained composure, he showed her to a pretty room with floral decorations. Kate smiled softly. "This room reminds me of the one that I used to have when I was a little girl…"

"So you'll be comfortable here?"

"Yes. Thanks."

"Okay, then. Goodnight." Jack turned to leave when Kate called his name. Halting just outside her doorway, he turned and said, "Yes?"

"Well, I just wanted to say thank you again. You never even asked what I was arrested for or if I'm guilty, yet you took me into your home. Even though I don't know you, you are the best friend that I've ever had." Kate blushed and looked down.

Jack was touched. He opened his mouth to reply, but he couldn't find the right words. Kate looked up and stepped towards him. He nearly stopped breathing. She leaned closer to him and breathed softly, taking in his scent. Slowly, his fingers reached up and stroked her cheek. She raised her head and her lips brushed his…

Suddenly, footsteps echoed on the stairs. Jack pulled back and Kate slowly closed the door. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"Night." He walked softly down the hall and closed the door to his room just before Deborah came upstairs and walked down the hallway, shaking her head in annoyance at having an unwanted guest.

Kate sighed softly to herself as she pulled off her pants and jacket and lay down. She knew that she should really take time to think and figure out this whole thing with Jack, but apparently now was not the time for that. She fell asleep almost instantaneously.

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Charlie strolled confidently into the hospital, donned in all in white. The nurses and guards all waved him in. Smiling, he stepped into the elevator and looked down at his new medical coat with the name tag that read "Dr. Ron Howard". He knew that he had been pretty lucky to have found a clean uniform sitting in the open car of a little-known resident. He had been even luckier that the secretary was a young woman who didn't recognize him at all and had no problem telling him where to find Claire Littleton. Upon exiting the elevator, he made a right and walked down a long hallway until he reached a set of locked metal doors. He glanced at the label on those doors. "The Carl Jung Mental Ward" he read. _Interesting._

The door swung open and he was greeted by a nurse, who pointed out a small couch upon which sat Claire and a woman Charlie didn't recognize. He walked up to her and tapped her shoulder, declaring loudly, "Hi, Claire! Remember me, Dr. Ron Howard?"

Claire blinked in surprise, but caught on quickly. "Of course, Doctor, how could I forget?"

"Excuse me a moment, Ms., um..."

The other woman rose and strolled away. "Odd bird, no?"

"Charlie," she whispered. "You're practically in an asylum. Most people hear are odd birds. That woman, however, is one of the few who seem relatively sane. Her name is Danielle and she is just brilliant. Moreover, she believed me about the whole dream thing! She doesn't seem to trust Ethan either."

"I have a plan, Claire. I think I can get you out of here."

"Can we take Danielle, too? Please, Charlie?"

Charlie sighed. He really was having trouble dealing with his newfound responsibility and he did not feel ready to take on a new burden. "I'm sorry, but…"

"Please?" Claire glanced around and saw that no one was paying them any attention. Quickly, she leaned over and kissed Charlie on the lips. "I promise I'll help."

Stunned, Charlie nodded assent. As she beamed up at him, Charlie struggled to recall his plan. _What have I gotten myself into now? _He wondered.

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_Kate glanced all around her, but she couldn't find anything but darkness and silence. Desperately, she clawed at the invisible walls around her until she grasped what felt like a doorknob. She turned it and pushed the door open. She found herself standing in what seemed to be a hallway. Bursts of light like electricity flashed through the hall, and Kate heard a low rumbling sound growing closer._

_Whirling around, she saw a blurred shape steadily approaching. She squinted her eyes until she clearly saw a plane. It was coming at her, when suddenly it violently tore apart. Bloodcurdling screams echoed, drowned out in a series of explosions. Kate staggered back and turned away from the plane._

_The hallway was no longer dark. Now, it was lined with faces. The faces that had haunted Kate her whole life sneered down at her – from that first grade bully to the two criminals that Jack had saved her from. But he was nowhere to be found now. More lights shot out and Kate realized that the burning plane was still coming towards her, faster now._

_All she could do was run through the looming darkness. "Run," chanted voices she didn't know. "Run, run! You have no other choice, you will always be running!"_

Kate ran as hard as she could until she felt herself be caught and held tightly in strong arms. She began to struggle and scream louder until she heard, "Kate, wake up! It's me, it's Jack."

Slowly, she stopped moving and opened her eyes. She found herself in Jack's arms in the middle of the long upstairs hallway. "It's alright," he was saying reassuringly. "You're safe, I promise."

Kate clung to him as she tried to shake off the remnants of her dream. Slowly, the fear faded, new feelings taking its place. It began to occur to her that she was here in just a tank top and underwear pressing against Jack's bare chest. A blush crept over her face and she abruptly backed away. She shivered, missing his warmth already. He looked at her, concern still etched on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It was just a dream – I normally don't react like that to dreams."

He smiled gently. "Sometimes dreams can seem like a lot more…"

"Jack! Is something going on?" Jack and Kate jumped as Deborah's voice drifted down the hall.

"No, its okay, Mom. Good night!"

Kate took her cue. "Goodnight, Jack. Um, I'll see you in the morning."

"Right. Goodnight." She watched him turn and go back into his bedroom. As he left the hallway, the warmth and comfort seemed to go with him. Kate shivered again, this time not from the cold.

Hurriedly, she pushed open the nearest door, eager to get back into her bed and wrap the sheets around her. Turning on the light, she found herself in the bathroom. Shaking her head and flipping the light back off, Kate tried to get her bearing. The next door she opened was a closet. _What is wrong with me?_ Kate couldn't understand why she felt so disoriented. She pulled open the next door and found another linen closet. Angrily, she shut the door. Leaning against the wall, she buried her head in her hands and tried to focus. The darkness and emptiness in the hallway were bringing back the images and voices from her dream, and she couldn't find a light to make it go away. The hall seemed to sway in front of her, seeming to stretch out endlessly. _What is going on?_

Tears sprang to her eyes as she opened the next door. In the dim moonlight shining through the window, she could see that it was a bedroom. It wasn't hers, but Kate was so tired and scared that any spare room would do for that night. She jumped as the door swung shut behind her, then she approached the bed, then froze as she heard breathing. She strained her eyes and saw Jack sit up, confused. "Kate? What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," she whispered truthfully. "I'm sorry."

She turned to leave. "Wait. Tell me what's wrong, Kate. Please."

"That dream. It's haunting me." The tears threatened to overflow. "Jack, I'm scared. I don't want to be alone again."

"You don't have to be."

He held out his arms to her and she rushed into them instinctively. He took her under the covers with him and encircled her body with his strong arms. She nestled against him, finally feeling secure.

* * *

Okay, I know this is pretty late but I wanted to make sure I got it up on Friday. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Review and let me know.

Happy New Year everyone!!!!


	6. A Revelation and An Escape

More thanks to**a.k.a.-ashley**, **Evermore, Writing Squirrel**, **Oreata, kate and jack, MusicMonkey88, YellyBelly, xeledhwenx**, **hurley is da man, charlie is hot,** and **smilez4eva** for their reviews!

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters in this story are my own creation.

From this chapter on, this story will contain information from "Whatever the Case May Be" coupled with my own speculation.

By the way, this chapter is going to be written from the point of view of different characters.

* * *

**A Revelation and An Escape**

Deborah Shepard woke up abruptly at exactly 7 AM, as she had for the past ten years. She prided herself upon being a punctual woman and she was not about to break this habit now. She stretched, donned her robe, and got out of bed, pointedly ignoring the empty space that was once her husband's. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and walked down the hall, slowing as she approached her son's room. Even now that he was a full-grown man, she still checked in on him every morning. She still wasn't sure if she did this for her own security or for his.

This morning, however, Deborah stopped at the door of her new guest. She still was uncomfortable with the idea of having a known convict in her house. Quietly, she pushed open the door to reveal sunlight shining in on an empty bed. Deborah released her breath in a soft hiss. Praying that she was jumping to the wrong conclusion, she walked on and opened Jack's door. "My good Lord," she gasped, looking in.

Jack lay with his arms still tight around Kate's body. Still half-asleep, he softly stroked her hair. Deborah closed her eyes and turned away, not bothering to close the door behind her. She hurriedly walked down the stairs and made herself a large cup of coffee. _My son is in love with a convict._

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Charlie quickly removed his hand from Claire's as another doctor approached their area of the ward. "Ms. Danielle Rousseau?"

"Yes?"

"Please come with me."

Danielle rose and followed the male nurse. She looked back to see Charlie outlining the plan of their escape. She had actually considered going with them, but was now reconsidering. They fit so well together, she thought that they might have some chance at happiness. Just the way that they were looking into each other's eyes, she knew that she would be a third wheel.

More importantly, however, she wasn't completely sure that she even wanted to escape. _After all,_ she thought._ Where would I even go? There is no place for me anymore. _

She snapped out of her reflections and looked around her. She was in the one on one conference room, sitting across a table from Dr. Ethan Rom.

"Hello, Danielle. It's about time you and I had a little chat."

She didn't respond.

"Come now, Danielle, be civil for once. Cooperate. Tell me, what is happening with your new friend, Claire?"

She glanced up at him momentarily, then lowered her head and sat in sullen silence.

"You are testing my patience. Do you need me to _make_ you talk again?"

"No, please!" she whimpered.

"Then please enlighten me as to what you've learned."

"Nothing of importance, Dr. Rom."

"You better be telling me the truth. That is, if you ever want to see your child again…"

"Nothing. I swear it!"

"Good. You may go. And remember, as always, Danielle, that dreams are just dreams."

She nodded and slowly left the room. By now, Danielle was grey and shaking. She found that she almost always was by the end of her encounters with Dr. Rom.

----------

Ethan smiled as Danielle closed the door behind him. With most patients, it was his utmost goal to bring them to a level of calmness and stability. This patient, however, he liked to keep off balance. He had his own reasons for doing this.

He leaned forward and looked out suspiciously at Dr. Howard. He had a bad feeling about that man today. He made a mental note to observe that doctor more closely. He had come so far- he was not going to let anyone get in his way now.

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Deborah took a deep breath as Jack entered the kitchen. He was alone. "Where's Kate?"

"She's in the shower."

"Good. I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Don't act all innocent with me, Jack. Her bed was empty last night. What the hell is going on with you two?"

"Mom! That's our business, not yours."

"So, it's not my business if my son is sleeping with a convict? It's not Lorraine's business if her boyfriend is cheating on her?!"

Jack winced at the mention of Lorraine. Apparently, he had managed to forget about her up until this point. Deborah shook her head, disappointed. "How could you hurt her like this?"

"Mom…"

Both looked up and forced a smile as Kate entered the room. "Um, excuse me. Am I interrupting something? Because, I can go do something else…"

Jack responded, "No, don't worry about it. That conversation was over." He turned and looked at Deborah meaningfully.

The three fell quiet as they sat around the kitchen table for breakfast. Finally, Deborah couldn't stand it. She slammed her mug down hard on the table and looked at Kate. "Okay, listen. This whole 'dream' thing may be enough of an explanation for my son, but it's not for me. I will not allow you to stay in my home a moment longer unless I know what crime you committed."

Jack rose angrily. "Mom, that's enough. I told you that I knew what I was doing. If you don't want her here, I'll take her to my apartment, I…"

Kate softly interrupted. "No, Jack. She's right. Neither of you have any idea who I am or what I did."

Jack looked at her in shock. Kate had never been forthcoming, he didn't understand why now… Suddenly, his eyes fell on a half-folded newspaper. Its headline read, "Killer Involved in Local Bank Robbery Finally Apprehended". Jack's eyes grew troubled as the realization of just how bad Kate's crime was began to hit him. He sincerely hoped that she had a good explanation.

He and Deborah listened silently as Kate proceeded to tell them what had happened three years ago.

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"Danielle, it's time. Let's go!" Claire whispered excitedly. Danielle gave her a blank look and remained seated. "Come on!"

"I'm not going."

"Well, why ever not?"

"I have my reasons. Good luck to you, Claire Littleton. It is my sincere wish that things work out as they should."

Claire was taken aback by this comment. She paused to consider Danielle's meaning, but Charlie grabbed her arm. "Claire, we have practically no time. We have to go!"

"Goodbye, Danielle. I'm sorry I couldn't help you."

"Perhaps you have, dear. Perhaps you have."

Claire didn't hear this comment, as Charlie was hurriedly seating her in a wheelchair and wheeling her out of the psych ward.

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Danielle thoughtfully looked out the window as Charlie and Claire emerged from the hospital and began quickly walking away. She glanced back at Ethan, who was in turn watching her thoughtfully. She turned her head until all she saw was the blank, white wall. Sighing, she realized that she had a choice to make. Again.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter tonight and for it being up a half hour late, I'm swamped with stuff. However, I promise that next chap will be much longer. I've got lots of stuff planned!

Please keep reviewing! Also, let me know if anyone remembers off-hand the name of Danielle's child. I can find it myself, but if any of you know it would save me some work.

**Next chapter**: Charlie and Claire run into some old friends and Deborah takes thing into her own hands…


	7. Reconnecting

More thanks to** Evermore, ****a.k.a.-ashley**, **showmethehobbit**, **smilez4eva****, Oreata, Writing Squirrel, The Pirate Illusionist, kate and jack, litgal, MusicMonkey88** and **FanOfLOST **for their reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Reconnecting **

Deborah was in complete shock as she watched Kate and Jack's retreating form. _How could someone kill three people in cold blood? How could I allow someone like that to remain under my roof?Jack may be willing to let the past go and give that girl a new start, but I want her in jail! _Shaking, she walked over to the phone and began to dial. 9. 1. 1. She tried to force away her hesitancy, reminding herself again of the horror of Kate's crime. It was so easy to condemn, and yet…

Nagging at the back of her mind, small but most definitely present, was a whispering little voice that could somehow understand. A voice that reminded Deborah of what she would be willing to do to hang on to something of the man she had loved. Slowly, she hung up the phone.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into the living room where her son and the convict were watching the morning news. Something about a breakout from the hospital's psychiatric ward and how upset a Dr. Rom was? She couldn't care less. The only thing that Deborah noticed was that Jack still respected this woman. He did not shy away from her or act scared or angry. _And,_ added the little voice. _It's not like she's going to ruin his life or anything in just a couple of weeks, right?_

She finally spoke. "Kate?" Both figures on the couch turned around. Kate's face was filled with anxiety, she obviously as expecting Deborah to ask her to leave. "It seems that you need some new clothes. Would you like to come shopping with me?"

Both Jack and Kate broke into grins.

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"We did it!" Claire smiled for the first time in days as she looked around at the serene beauty of the small park that they had stopped at. "We really escaped."

Charlie nodded happily and watched her look up into the sky. She began to laugh as the sunshine sprinkled sown onto her upturned face.

Still laughing, she turned to him and cocked her head. "I love you," she stated simply and sunnily. Before Charlie could react to this with words, Claire threw her arms around him and gently kissed his lips.

Charlie was momentarily taken aback. In his rock star days, he had been with many, many girls, but he but none of them even came close to make him feel like this. Claire made him feel happy and fluttery, like he wanted to sing and laugh and be with her forever.

But Charlie had never been able to put his feelings into eloquent words. So, instead of saying anything at all, Charlie pulled Claire closer and kissed her harder. She felt like jumping for pure joy.

They were so caught up in each other that neither heard the suggestive cough of the elderly woman who stood beside them. Irritated, she finally said loudly, "Excuse me, sir and madam. I said, EXCUSE ME."

Gasping for air, they both turned to face her. "There are children in this park. Could we please try to keep the public displays of affection to a bare minimum?"

Charlie and Claire blushed red. The woman's keen eyes took in Claire's pregnant belly and the absence of wedding rings on the couple's fingers. Crossing herself, she whispered, "God have mercy on you," and walked away as quickly as her frail legs would carry her. It was all Charlie and Claire could do to keep from laughing until she had gotten out of hearing distance.

Chuckling, Charlie said, "So, she was not-so-politely telling us to get a room?"

Claire laughed. "Good advice, actually. The sun is beginning to set and we need a place to stay for the night."

Charlie slowly tried to focus in on studying the map and finding a suitable hotel. He was having quite a bit of trouble accomplishing this, as his mind kept drifting back to thoughts of Claire and what it and felt like to finally kiss her.

"Do you see anything?" she asked.

"Um, well, it looks like we're on, um, actually I'm not quite sure. Never had to read a map before, you see. I know all the great party spots, though, there's a club down that street over there that is absolutely amazing, but that's probably not going to help us now. Hotel, we need a hotel. I wonder…"

Claire interrupted his musings with a tap on his arm. "Oh my God. Charlie, is that…?"

"One minute, love." Charlie was growing frustrated in his attempt to read this map correctly and he did not appreciate his attention being broken.

"No, Charlie, look!" Claire grabbed his arm and pointed across the street.

Finally, Charlie looked up. He fell speechless. All he could do at this point was feel a new wave of appreciation for Carl Jung.

Standing in front of them, waving happily, was none other than Hurley.

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"Thank you so much, Ms Shepard. I will pay you back, I promise."

"Oh, don't worry about it. You needed the clothes – it was nothing at all. Now, I'm going to go have some coffee, why don't you go upstairs and try on some clothes?"

Kate could tell that Deborah could not wait to be left alone. A whole morning of pretending to be nice for her son's sake had most definitely worn on her. "Okay. Good idea."

Kate picked up her bags and walked upstairs. Even if Deborah's friendliness was temporary, it was by far an improvement over before and it had put Kate in a better mood. She had hated revealing the tale of the bank robbery, but she had seen the newspaper. They would have found out anyway, better they heard it from her.

But that was all over now and it had turned out okay. Kate was finding herself in a much better mood. Entering her room, she pulled out one of her new outfits – dark pants and a pretty, lacy peasant blouse. She slipped into them and fixed her hair into a loose bun.

She began to look into more of her new stuff when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find Jack standing there holding a change of sheets for her bed. Apparently, Deborah was big on freshness.

"Hi. I have your sheets."

"How do I look?" she asked lightly.

He placed the sheets on the floor and slowly looked her over. "You look beautiful," he said sincerely.

Kate was taken aback by his serious tone. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, like she was losing control of something. Quickly, she tried to move back to a joking tone. "Well," she began, with more confidence than she felt. "It's nothing special really. Just everyday stuff – no big deal."

Jack looked hard at her. Abruptly, he stepped into her room, letting the door close behind him. "Kate," he said, suddenly smiling. "Think we'd have a chance?"

She forced a laugh. "In your dreams."

"In both our dreams, actually. Do you remember, Kate? That last day before we woke up?"

Kate blushed as she recalled the kiss they had shared that day. Her eyes fell to their arms, where the matching scars still lay visible on their skin. "I remember. I asked if… if it meant anything."

"I didn't know then. But now…"

"What do you think now?"

"I think maybe everything _does_ happen for a reason."

"So we were meant to be? Regardless of life, of reality?"

"Don't you feel it?"

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore."

Jack stepped forward and kissed her gently, bringing his hand up to the nape of her neck. She slowly began to kiss him back, feeling warmth rush over her body.

He whispered against her mouth, "don't you feel it? Mean to be, maybe?"

She responded by throwing her arms around him and pulled him even closer, closing her mouth on his. Both could feel themselves getting caught up in each other. Kate pulled back a moment to pull off first his t-shirt, then her own, then she began to kiss him hard again. She stepped backwards and fell back on her bed, taking Jack with her. She ran her hand over his arms and back, feeling all of his smoothly defined muscles. She was completely losing herself in him. She didn't stop – there was no going back now…

"Jack Shepard! You bastard! What the hell are you doing?"

Hastily, Jack and Kate pulled apart, still panting for air. Jack's eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Lorraine?" he gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother sent me up here, said that you wanted to talk to me and that she had gotten some nice theater tickets for us and that you were getting ready. Apparently, she forgot to mention that while you were getting ready you were also screwing some bitch that I've never seen before."

"Listen, Lorraine…."

"Look, I don't want to hear it Jack. I know what I see. Just don't talk to me again, okay?" Hurt and on the verge of tears, Lorraine rushed out the door and down the stairs. Jack grabbed his shirt and began to follow her out. He paused at the door and looked back at Kate, obviously torn.

Kate put her shirt back on and looked coldly at him. "Go."

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"Charlie! Claire! What's up? What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, we're, um…" Charlie tried to think of a way to phrase a response that did not damage his ego.

This proved fruitless as Claire responded, "We're lost because Charlie can't read a map. Now we need to find a hotel."

"Hurley laughed. "Wanna crash with me?"

Charlie smiled his appreciation. "That would be great."

"One thing I should warn you about, though."

"Oh, we don't mind a mess or anything."

"Well, one person, I should say."

Claire's curiosity was piqued. "Who?"

"Sawyer."

Charlie and Claire were shocked. "Sawyer?! But why is he staying with you?"

"He had nowhere else to go, and I just didn't have the heart to turn him down, you know? Anyways, follow me. I live in the apartment on the top floor of this building here."

The two followed Hurley into the building. As they walked, Charlie murmured in her ear, "Wow. Hurley is a far better man than I. Not in a million years would I willingly accept Sawyer into my home."

"Claire smiled. "You are a great person, Charlie. Not taking in Sawyer isn't being cold, it's having common sense!"

"Here we are- my humble abode." Hurley opened the door to apartment 4C happily. Charlie and Claire entered cautiously, as if afraid that Sawyer would pounce at any moment. They took in the layout – a main living room with access to dining room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen which was, as they had expected, stocked to the brim. The apartment was messy, but somehow gave the impression of being simple and homey.

Hurley smiled proudly. I call it: organized chaos."

"Interesting."

"Oh, it's just fascinating. Trust me, it'll be even more fascinating when he's told you that for the eight-hundredth time in two days."

"Hello, Sawyer."

"Charlie, Claire. Long time no see. Are you guys going to stay here?"

"For a little."

"So this is like a rehashing of fantasy island, fatso?"

"I guess so."

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The hot water from the shower was a relief. Kate closed her eyes and felt the near scalding water numbing her slowly. _He said we were meant to be. And he has a girlfriend. _She didn't know whether to feel sad or angry or relieved, so for the moment she just didn't want to feel anything. Finally, when she felt that she couldn't take the heat anymore, she turned off the water.

Pulling on her clothes, Kate hung up the towel and walked back to what had become her room. She pushed open the door and came to a standstill in confusion. All of her stuff was gone. Confused, Kate walked downstairs and was surprised to see a suitcase packed next to the door in the front hall. Deborah stood next to it, watching her.

Kate did not want to talk to her at the moment. "Where's Jack? I need to talk to him."

"Out. Trying to make up with Lorraine, who I finally managed to convince to give him another shot. Thing is, sweetheart," she continued bitterly. "You were just a fling, a temporary distraction. We all know that Lorraine is his real future, and we're not going to let anything screw that up. Got it?" She gestured towards the door.

"If you're waiting for an apology, you're not going to get one."

"I'm not waiting for an apology. I'm waiting for you to get the hell out of my house." Deborah stepped forward and pulled open the wooden door, gesturing for Kate to walk through.

Kate stepped forward, seriously considering leaving. _What is left for me here anymore? He's done enough…_

"You should be ashamed to be still under this roof. Don't you understand, girl? You ruined his life."

Kate ran. Without thought, she simply could not stand to be in that house an instant longer. It was only when she was three blocks away that she realized that she had forgotten the suitcase, but there was no way she was going back.

Suddenly, thunder lit up the darkening night sky. She cursed under her breath and ran faster, searching desperately through the streets for some form of shelter. She slowed as she approached a series of alleys. Fear slowly began to creep down her spine as she realized that there were no lights to be found. _I need to get out of here._

Blindly, she plodded down the first alley she came to. It twisted and turned and led her back to where she started. Panting, Kate thought she saw a glimmer of light down the second alley. She hit a dead end.

Whirling around, Kate began to run. The darkness, the harsh whispering of the falling rain, the futility of the search – she felt trapped in a real-life version of her dream. Only this time, she knew she wouldn't wake up and find Jack's comforting arms. All she would find from now on would be cold and dark.

Shivering, Kate crouched under a windowsill and wrapped her arms around herself. She passed out the instant she leaned back against the brick wall. Her slumber was so deep that she did not feel the hands grab her, lift her up, and carry her away…

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I had a lot of fun writing it. Please continue to review and let me know what you think! 


	8. Real Life

More thanks to** kate and jack, sallyshoestrings, Evermore, jack is cool,sawyer is a fool, Writing Squirrel**, **FanOfLOST, Tatiana, xeledhwenx , Oreata, MusicMonkey88, a.k.a.-ashley,** **litgal, **and **smilez4eva** for their reviews!

I am very sorry for the delay in posting this chapter – I have been having major computer problems for the past couple of days. It finally seems like everything's alright now, so here is chapter 8.

By the way, **Evermore**, I am not exactly sure where the phrase "organized chaos" originated, but it is definitely one of my favorite expressions. I'm glad you appreciated it!

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Real Life**

"Danielle."

At the sound of his voice, Danielle Rousseau felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine. That mocking sing-song tone haunted her dreams. "Danielle, come in here please."

Danielle did not move. Two big, burly guards came over to her and grasped her arms. Her struggle was to no avail, they dragged her straight into the little conference room that she so feared. Seated there was Ethan Rom. He did not look happy.

"Put up a fight again, Danielle? I do not understand why you so fear me."

"Yes you do."

Ethan chuckled menacingly. "Alright, maybe I do know. Let me get straight to the point. Tell me where Claire is."

"No."

"I'm losing patience with you, Danielle. Why will you not cooperate?"

"Because I don't want you to do to her child what you did to Alex. No mother should have to go through that!""

Ethan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh, so that is what this whole thing is about. How about this: if you tell me where to look for Miss Littleton, I will arrange for you to see Alex."

Danielle hesitated.

"Come now. It's the only thing you've wanted since you woke up last month."

She felt tears coming to her eyes. "He is my son! And he was all I had left, after I had to kill the others crash survivors so they wouldn't spread disease. And then he just disappeared! All my misery was because of you."

"Oh, my. Have you forgotten everything your psychiatrist has explained to you? You were in a coma for sixteen years, Danielle. Your fellow survivors all died while in the coma. You were quite lucky to wake up at all."

"And Alex?"

"I did what I had too with Alex, okay? What else could I have done? His mother was more than slightly incapacitated, no?"

"That wasn't the only reason and you know it."

"Perhaps I do. But that does not matter right now. I will once again repeat my offer. I warn you, though, this is the last time Danielle. Where is she?"

"I swear, in all honesty I do not know. I can tell you how she escaped, though."

"I will make that deal."

"Charlie Pase."

"Interesting. Very interesting…"

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Kate's eyelids felt too heavy for her to open. She didn't know where she was or who had wrapped a warm, dry blanket around her and laid her on a soft couch. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for over an hour. Groggily, she wondered if she had awoken again from a strange dream in which she had been betrayed by the man she loved.

Abruptly, a voice broke her reverie. "Kate? Kate, can you hear me? Please try to open your eyes, I have some tea and some medicine that I need you to take – it should prevent you getting sick. I don't understand for the life of me why you were running through the rain, though, and I must admit that I'm quite curious."

_He knows my name?_ This realization coupled with the strangely familiar voice caused Kate to struggle to open her eyes. When her eyelids finally obeyed her brain, she was shocked. Proffering a steaming cup of tea was none other than John Locke. "Good, you're awake."

"Yes. Thank you so much for taking me in."

"Well, it's lucky for you that you managed to collapse right outside my apartment. What ever were you doing out there in a storm like that?"

"Um, I'd rather not talk about it if that's okay."

"That's perfectly okay. Let me know when you're ready to talk about it."

Kate nodded and sipped the tea, allowing its soothing heat to calm her. "Thank you again. I do have one more favor to ask of you. May I please stay here tonight? I can even sleep on the floor if need be and I will be out of here tomorrow morning first thing."

"I'm sorry Kate, but I cannot allow that," he said simply. Kate was taken aback. It was the type of answer one would expect from Locke, but she had never encountered someone who would turn a friend out of his house for apparently no reason.

He saw the surprise on her face and continued, "I will be out this evening. However, it seems that Hurley is taking in homeless islanders. I will take you there now."

On principle, Kate hated charity. At the moment, however, she was so tired that she could only nod as Locke made a brief phone call, then escorted her to his car and drove her to a brick apartment building located right near a public park.

After climbing the stairs, Locke found the door to Hurley's apartment open. Hurley, Sawyer, Charlie, and Claire all looked anxiously at Kate's sleeping form.

"Is she going to be okay?" asked Charlie.

"Yes, I think she needs warmth and a good night's rest."

Hurley nodded. "Right. We set up a sleeping bag for her on the living room rug. Hope that's okay."

Sawyer stepped forward. "Let me just state for the record that I generously offered to share my bedroom with her and was turned down by these three for reasons unbeknownst to me."

Locke raised an eyebrow, then walked over to place Kate on the sleeping bag. Claire gently covered her with a blanket. "We will take good care of her, Mr. Locke."

"I know you will." Nodding, he exited the apartment. Hurley closed and locked the door behind him. With a friendly "Good night," he went into his bedroom. Sawyer, who had claimed the second bedroom as his own, stalked in and shut the door.

Charlie and Claire looked at the only sleeping area remaining – the full-sized pull-out couch, then looked at each other. Claire blushed prettily. Charlie noticed and said, "Please, lie down, a soon-to-be mother needs her rest. I can sleep on the floor if you would like."

Holding her stomach, Claire slowly sank down onto the bed. "No. Its fine, Charlie. Please don't sleep on the floor, I don't mind sharing."

Charlie slowly climbed into bed next t her. He watched her watching him. Both glanced towards Hurley's room to assure themselves that his door had been closed. Then, Charlie leaned over and kissed her tenderly.

Smiling at her, he pulled back and turned off the light. In the dark, their hands found each other.

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"Kate Bradley is currently free on bail paid by a mysterious unknown source. According to our sources, she is currently residing in the home of a fellow plane crash survivor. The man, Mr. Hugo…"

Jack's head snapped up from his paperwork. "Hurley? She found Hurley? That's good, I'm glad she's okay."

Lorraine rolled her eyes, irritated at the mere mention of the girl who was apparently her rival. "Yeah," she said without feeling. "Good for her."

Jack glanced at the woman seated on the couch across the room, then looked back to the television. The newscaster continued, "Today, Ms Bradley's trial date was finally set. In just one week from today, she will be tried for a triple homicide, assault, and grand larceny."

Jack looked back at Lorraine to gauge her reaction. She had pursed her lips and was silently shaking here had as she looked at the now familiar face on the screen. Abruptly, she picked up the remote and switched off the TV.

"Jack," she said. "I love you. I don't want to feel like I'm losing you to some girl I don't know."

"You aren't going to lose me, Lorraine."

Lorraine sighed and rose, walking over behind the chair that Jack was seated in. She leaned down so her cheek was against his and gently began massaging his shoulders. "I really hope that's true, honey."

Smiling, she turned his face towards her and began to kiss him. Without thinking, Jack softly pushed her back and turned away. Any trace of love left Lorraine's eyes, replaced by great anger. Harshly, she snapped, "I think I already lost you, Jack." Simmering, she sat down on the couch and looked away from him.

Jack looked back to his papers, but found he couldn't concentrate. He had no logical excuse for what he had just don to Lorraine. For reasons he couldn't quite identify, her kissing him had felt wrong somehow. Maybe it had been the guiltily thought of the hurt look on Kate's face when she realized that he had a serious girlfriend. _I owe her an apology, _he thought. _Maybe it's the guilt that makes me unable to get her face out of my head._ Only guilt? He was fooling himself and he knew it.

Jack tried to shake these thoughts from his mind. He looked over at the beautiful woman sitting languidly on the couch. She was perfect…

But she wasn't Kate.

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The next morning, Claire awoke slowly and looked over at Charlie. The sight of him lying next to her, his hand entwined in hers, made her unthinkably happy. She could have easily lied there, looking at him, forever, but she felt the familiar itch that told her to get up.

Slowly, she forced herself to rise. Before she left the bed, she leaned over and softly kissed Charlie's forehead. Then, she walked over to check on Kate. Claire was worried about her, and not just because she had arrived confused and shivering. The emotional burden that she seemed to carry was too much for Claire.

After adjusting Kate's blanket, Claire continued to the front hall and stood next to the door. She tapped her foot impatiently; waiting for the knock that she somehow knew was going to come.

Claire did not think of herself as a psychic by any means. However, she was starting to learn that the little feelings she had often came true, which could be extremely convenient at times.

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Jack continued to shake his head as he rolled Kate's suitcase down the sunny sidewalk. He still could barely believe that he was doing this. Sure, returning Kate's suitcase seemed innocuous enough, but he wasn't fooling himself. He was coming because he wanted to see her, to know that she would be okay, and to make sure that he hadn't hurt her too much. He was also coming because he just couldn't bear to be away from her. He felt like he would give anything for her to be in is arms again.

Slowly, he read over the names on the apartment numbers. Lifting the suitcase, he entered the building and climbed up the four flights of stairs. When he reached apartment 4C, he lifted his hand to knock. The door opened before he reached it.

Claire smile out at him. "Hello, Doctor. How are you?"

"Claire! It's nice to see you. Why are you in Hurley's apartment, though?"

"It has become a kind of refuge for crash survivors. Sawyer and Charlie are staying here too for a little while, along with Kate, who Locke dropped off yesterday night."

"Locke dropped off?"

"That's right. It was horrible – he found her cold and soaked to the bone in an alleyway. I cannot imagine what she was doing there."

Jack looked stricken. "Um, neither can I. That is horrible."

Claire knew that it didn't take a psychic to tell that Jack was not revealing something, but she decided to let it go. Changing the subject, she gestured to the suitcase and said brightly, "So, are you moving in, too? I don't know if we'll have enough room…"

"No, I'm not. This is actually Kate's suitcase."

"Why do you have Kate's suitcase."

"It's a long story."

He did not offer any more information and Claire did not pry. "Well, she's sleeping right now. Would you like me to go wake her?"

"No, that's okay."

"Or, you could come inside and wait until she gets up."

Jack considered this a moment, then forced himself to decline. "No, but thank you, Claire. It's just... If I see Kate again, I don't know what will happen – what I'll think, what I'll feel. I can't afford to do that. I made a commitment to Lorraine. I think that it's time to go back to my real life."

"But, Jack. Do you love her?"

"I thought that I loved Lorraine, I honestly did. But now, I don't know if that was ever real…"

Claire smiled softly. "I meant Kate. Do you love her?"

Jack looked up into Claire's eyes. "That would be another thing I couldn't afford to do."

"I didn't ask if you could afford to."

"It would be a waste of time to follow feelings and fleeting dreams."

Claire's voice turned serious. "Jack. Stop avoiding the question. You can trust me. I just want to know the truth."

Jack shifted his weight and sighed. "God help me, I do. Okay, Claire? I do love her with all my heart. But there's nothing that can ever come of it. That's why I don't want to see her again – I don't want either of us to get hurt. It's best if I go my way and she goes hers. That's real life."

"But is it the life you really want?"

"It's the life I have." With that, Jack placed the suitcase inside the door, then turned and briskly exited the building.

Claire was left standing in the doorframe, just wondering. _What is going to happen to us?_

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Please continue to review and let me know your opinions. I love to hear from my readers! 


	9. Dreams

More thanks to** Evermore, FanOfLOST, Tatiana, Cas85, rain1657, Oreata, Writing Squirrel, smilez4eva, MusicMonkey88, litgal, kate and jack, monkeyman, **and **Katsie** for their reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Dreams**

"Are you mentally disturbed?" Jack winced as he entered the house to find his mother livid and waiting for him. This was most certainly not what he expected or needed at the moment. Shrugging past her, he attempted to walk into the living room. She blocked his way.

"You answer me, Jack. That was a serious question."

"No, Mom, I'm not. What are you talking about?"

"You know! You know exactly what I mean! I talked to Lorraine yesterday and I was just horrified. Horrified!" Deborah sniffled.

"This is my life to live."

"And your life to ruin, apparently too. Do you realize what you are doing? You are giving up the life you have for a dream, Jack. A dream." By this point, she was hysterically crying. "I.. I love you, Jack. I can't bear to see you throw your life away for this."

Jack stepped forward and hugged his mother tightly. "I'm not going to, Mother. It's over."

She sighed with relief. "Okay. But still, you can't miss the appointment I scheduled you for. It's with a new psychologist, he came highly recommended. His name is Dr. Consaw."

"Oh, Mom…"

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Claire heaved a sigh and slammed her fist into the bed that she was sitting on. Charlie looked up from the morning paper in surprise. "What is it, love?"

"That dream again. It just won't let me be."

Concerned, Charlie walked over and sat down next to her. "The same one from last night?"

"I think so. You know I don't remember…"

This dream had been irritating Claire for days now. She felt it creep around the edge of her consciousness, dancing and prodding, but always remaining just out of her grasp. Try as she might, she could not catch hold of the fleeting ghost of a dream. She saw only the briefest of images, uncertain flashes: a circle, fourteen points, a plane, fire, the island…

When she explained this to Charlie the first time, he told her that she was probably just thinking about the crash. _But he doesn't know,_ thought Claire._ He hasn't felt this._ Something was new, different somehow… Just what that thing was, Claire had no idea. She didn't understand anything about the dream, which was why it terrified her.

Charlie took her hand in his. "Sweetheart, you know that you are due any day now. You need to take things slowly. Don't worry about a dream, okay?"

Claire smiled and said gently, "Right. Because dreams mean nothing, Charlie?"

Charlie blushed, caught. "Well, no… Sometimes, but not in our case, of course… I mean… Know what, Claire? I promise that I will protect you, from dreams or reality. Okay?"

"Thank you. You don't know what that means to me." Claire smiled again and pushed the doubts from her mind. Somehow, she always felt safe with Charlie. "Will you be okay on your own, here, Claire? I have that interview today, but if you'd rather I stayed…"

"No, of course not. Anyways, Kate and Hurley will be here all day. Go. Good luck!" She kissed him quickly, then watched his retreating form. He had found a possible position as a mixer at a well-known production studio, and she didn't want her qualms to get in the way of a great opportunity for him.

When he was out the door, Claire turned her attention to Kate, who was walking into the kitchen. IN pursuit was Sawyer, wearing a business suit and a cowboy hat.

"No, I'm not going to kiss you, Sawyer! Forget about it already."

"Not even if I buy you a pretty diamond necklace?"

"Not even then. Come on, though, like you could afford one."

"Trust me, Freckles, I can get the money."

"And just how do you plan to accomplish that feat? I mean, you are currently residing in Hurley's apartment. You're not exactly rolling in dough at the moment."

"I have my ways. Trust me on that one."

"Whatever. Nice getup, by the way," she added sarcastically. He tipped his hat to her and bowed slightly before walking out the door.

Kate rolled her eyes and sat down next to Claire. "Can you believe him?" she asked, laughing.

"Not really. But still, it's nice to hear you laugh. I was really worried about you the other day."

"Well, thanks to you, I'm okay now."

"Good. One another thing. About Jack…"

"Please, Claire, I really don't want to talk about him right now."

"Okay, then. We'll have to talk about Charlie, then."

"I'm all ears."

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Jack strolled annoyedly into the office of Dr. Consaw, PhD. He raised his eyebrows at the relatively shabby appearance of the office, surprised. He wouldn't have expected those conditions of a highly recommended psychologist. _Why am I even here?_ he asked himself for what must have been the hundredth time.

If his mother hadn't threatened to intervene in his life further, Jack would most certainly not have come to this place. He walked up to a tired-looking who he assumed to be the secretary. "In there," she murmured in a throaty voice before getting back to her romance novel.

Shaking his head, Jack walked into the room and sat on the couch. He looked across a desk to a man seated in a swivel chair, faced away from him. Jack was growing more disgusted by the minute. "Um, excuse me, Doctor. Can we make this quick? I realy don't need to be here…"

The man jerked up and turned around, preparing a fake smile and declaring happily, "Welcome to the office of Dr. Consaw. With just one session, I will be able to cure…" The man trailed off as he looked at Jack in shock.

Jack looked back just as surprised. "Sawyer?! What the hell are you doing?"

Sawyer grinned sheepishly. "How tough could psychology be? I wanted to help my fellow man, Jack."

"Sure. Come on, Sawyer, we both know that you wanted to rip off rich old ladies."

"Yeah, pretty much. But its nice pretending. Anyways, are you going to rat me out or what?"

"I'd have no choice."

"Okay, then. One question before you leave, though. Why exactly did you come to a psychologist Jack? Having problems? Maybe with a certain girl? Name begins with a K?"

"Shut up, Sawyer."

"Let's make a deal. If you let me close up my business quietly and without a fuss, I won't tell Kate what your mother told me."

Jack looked horrified. "And what exactly was that?"

"All about how Lorraine caught you two together and how your mom is worried because you are ruining a relationship with Lorraine mooning over Kate and all that fun stuff."

"You have half a day to get out of here."

Sawyer grinned again and began to take his "graduate degrees" down off the wall. Leaning his head out the door, he yelled, "Margaret! You're fired!" Chuckling, he turned back to Jack. "See, I' doing what you asked, Doc. One thing, though. Now, I'm no professional, but may I suggest that you talk to her? I mean, that would probably be a good idea."

"Why the sudden friendly advice, Sawyer?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"Friendly? Honestly, I just want to be there to see her kick your ass. Man, you screwed her up. The meeting will be interesting to say the least."

Even more aggravated, jack turned and left the office. Despite his hatred of Sawyer, he had to admit that it would probably be a good idea to talk to Kate, if only to make sure that she wasn't hurt or angry.

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A little over an hour later, Jack knocked on the door to apartment 4C. He was surprised when Kate answered the door. "Oh. It's you," she said dryly, attempting to hide the surprise and pain on her face. She opened the door enough for him to come in, then she went and sat at the kitchen table with Claire.

Jack sat across from her. "Kate, can I talk to you?"

"About what?"

"I'm sorry if I hurt you…"

"Hurt me? Don't flatter yourself." Jack was taken aback.

Claire shook her head sadly. She could see right through Kate – putting on an act of toughness so she wouldn't get hurt again. "Do you guys want me to leave?" she asked.

"No!" they both responded quickly. Claire shrugged and looked away.

"Kate, look. At least we can still be friends, regardless, no?"

Now there was real hurt in Kate's voice. "Friends? You told me that you loved me. But that was all a lie, wasn't it? You loved Lorraine. You used me."

"No, you don't understand."

"I don't understand what?"

"Kate, I…" Jack looked up to see Claire's encouraging nod. In his head, however, he saw his tearful mother and his hurt girlfriend. Right and wrong blurred to him as he struggled to speak. "I…"

Kate had had enough. The bitterness came back. "And I? I need to take a shower, okay? See you around." She stood up and briskly walked down the hall, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Jack looked down. Claire walked over to him slowly. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"I couldn't, I don't know, it's complicated. I don't really want to talk about it now, okay?"

"You and she have more in common than you think."

"Um, okay. Anyway, how have you been doing?"

"Great, except for this one dream. It's really bothering me lately."

Jack looked interested. He was snapping into doctor mode. "Oh, really? Tell me about your dream, Claire."

She opened her mouth to tell him about the dream with the plane, when suddenly another dream came back to her with the force of a blow. She dint' know why, but Claire found herself explaining this newly remembered dream. "Well, there's smoke and steel – a knife, I think. There' white everywhere, and lots of crying. And this one name keeps repeating over and over again."

"What name is that?"

"Lawrence Ragetta. Funny how clearly I hear that. I mean.. Jack? Jack, are you okay?"

The color had drained from Jack's face. Claire looked concerned. "What, do you know him? Jack?"

"I knew him. He was the man I killed."

Claire stumbled back and fainted dead away.

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Please continue your great reviews! I especially like hearing your opinions of what's going on in the story. 


	10. Child of the Island

More thanks to** FanOfLOST, MusicMonkey88, Oreata, a.k.a.-ashley, hulkmad, jackatefan76, Evermore, smilez4eva, **and **Cas85** for their reviews!

Also, many thanks to my friend, who inspired me to write the last scene in this chapter and who has been so supportive of this entire fic. You know who you are.

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Child of the Island**

Jack look stunned for a moment at Claire's unconscious form. _What have I done?_ Shaking himself, he picked up Claire and laid her gently on the pull-out couch. He began to check her over when he stopped dead in her tracks. _Oh, my God. Her water broke. She's going into labor._

He whirled around, knowing that he would need help to keep her safe. "Help! Guys, hurry! I'm going to need help in here!"

Hurley rushed in upon hearing Jack's frantic tone. "What's going on?"

"Her water broke. She's going into labor. Listen, call an ambulance. Then come help me, please."

Hurley took one look at the moaning, half-conscious Claire and fainted. At the sound of his body crashing to he floor, Kate came out of her room. "Hurley, are you oka… Oh, my God. Jack, is she going into labor?"

"Yes. She's unconscious at the moment, but…"

Claire gasped for breath and opened her eyes. "The baby is coming."

Jack stroked her arm reassuringly, at this point completely in doctor mode. "Yes, it will be okay. We're going to get you to a hospital."

"No hospitals. Please, no hospitals." She closed her eyes again and winced against pain. "Contractions," she panted out.

Jack turned back to Kate. "Kate, call the ambulance."

"Claire said no hospitals. You don't know what they did to her there – she has every right to request that. You're a doctor, after all."

"A spinal surgeon, not an obstetrician!"

"Jack, please. Let me help you."

Jack paused, hesitant. _This is my fault,_ said a voice in the back of his mind. _I can at least do as she asked.. _"Fine. We can do it together."

-

Two hours later, Claire sat up in the bed groggily. Something was itching at the back of her mind – something had happened, she had found out something important, maybe? Any thoughts of this raced from her mind, however, when she heard a baby's soft cry. Opening her eyes, she saw Kate trying to calm down the baby in her arms. Suddenly, Claire remembered. _I am a mother now._

Smiling now, she reached out her arms. Kate smiled back and handed the child to her, saying, "It's a boy, Claire. He's beautiful. Congratulations."

Claire happily took him into her arms.

"Do you have a name for him?"

"Yes. Lyle. It is French and it means 'from the island'. I thought it fitting." She laughed softly and looked down at her son. "Hello, Lyle," she cooed.

She looked up to see Charlie come running in through the door. "I got the job, Claire! I am know a professional mixer! Soon, we can…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the baby in her arms. "

Jack came in from cleaning up and stood next to Kate. She turned to him joyfully. "We did it! They're all okay."

"I'm happy for them, but trust me. Never again will I do that," he murmured.

"But it was worth it," Kate responded. "No?"

She motioned towards Claire, Charlie, and Lyle. Jack finally smiles. "They look like one big, happy family."

Sawyer walked in and halted, confused. He quickly regained his composure and smiled broadly. "Look, the happy family. The drug addict, the oft-kidnapped girl, and the illegitimate child."

"Shut up, Sawyer," Jack and Kate responded in unison.

Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "Back in sync, you two? Interesting. Let me know when you get sick of him again, Kate. I'm here for you."

Kate rolled her eyes at him again. "In your dreams, Sawyer."

"I'm perfectly happy with that, Freckles. I mean, think about it. You met _him _in your dreams too." Laughing at his own joke, he turned and strolled into his room. Kate blushed slightly.

She and Jack stood in silence for a moment. Charlie's voice drifted back to them. "So then, Claire, when I have that money from the job you and Lyle and I can get our own place and…"

Kate softly took Jack's arm and led him away from the living room. "We should give them some privacy," she whispered. She came to a stop by the kitchen door. Neither of them moved for a moment. Realizing that she was still holding his arm, Kate dropped it and quickly went out the screen door onto Hurley's small deck. It was small – only big enough for a small table and a lounge chair. Above it, the roof jutted out enough to act as a shield from the weather.

To her surprise, Jack stepped out after her and closed the door behind him. Kate stood stiffly and looked out over the iron railing.

"Kate, tell me. What's going on between us?"

"Nothing," she said firmly, not turning to face him.

"Nothing," he echoed softly. "Okay, then. Nothing." Sighing, he sat down and reclined on the lounge chair, watching her.

After a moment, she turned and came over to him, sitting down on the edge of the chair. Pensively, she took his hand in hers and ran her fingers along his palm, avoiding his intent gaze. "Absolutely nothing. We couldn't afford it."

With his other hand, he reached up and lifted her face so that her eyes met his. "Are you sure of that? I thought that too, even earlier today. But now, maybe we could take a chance."

He leaned forward and brushed her lips with his. She looked up at him, her feelings confused and her previous certainty muddled.

Suddenly, the clouds above burst open and rain began to fall softly from the night sky. This broke them moment. Kate dropped Jack's hand and turned away, looking out over the balcony.

Slowly, the storm intensified. Still, neither moved. The roof protected them from getting soaked. Besides, the rain and the cool air seemed to be casting a spell of sorts. The pouring drops seemed to wash away the strain: Lorraine and Kate's trial and all the hurt and animosity that had existed between Jack and Kate.

Slowly, Kate leaned back and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her frame. They stayed there for hours, just watching the rain fall and knowing that, for this night, they were safe with each other.

* * *

Please continue to review! 


	11. Life and Death

Thanks to** Evermore, Oreata, kate and jack, FanOfLOST, Cas85, hulkstillmad, a.k.a.-ashley, hulkmad, Writing Squirrel, Celtickitty89, rain1654, smilez4eva, litgal, **and **jackluver928**for their reviews!

I am EXTREMELY sorry about the lengthy delay in the posting of this chapter. I did not abandon this story. In fact, I have been having horrible computer issues in the past week and have been unable to post anything. I finally can today, and I just put this chapter up ASAP. I'm hoping that these problems are permanently solved. I'm planning to make this story 15 chapters long, so I'm crossing my fingers that this holds out until then at least. Anyways, sorry again. I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Life and Death**

"Sawyer!" Kate laughed as he playfully pinned her against the wall. "Come on, let me go!"

"Hey! If this were Jack, you wouldn't have a problem with it."

Kate blushed. "That's beside the point. Right now, I want you to move."

"And me so much better-looking than him, too. Come on, Kate. Just one kiss."

He leaned towards her as she ducked out of his arms. "You're an ass, Sawyer."

He stopped smiling for a moment. "You and I belong together Kate. How could you ever think that the good doctor and the convict would work out? He has a life here, and you're screwing it up. Think about that."

He glared at her and walked out into the bathroom, leaving her alone. She heard a soft, sweet song drifting in from the next room. It made her want to cry. Instead, she covered her ears and locked the door.

-

_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket_

_Never let it fade away_

_Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket_

_Save it for a rainy day…_

Claire smiled softly as she sang to Lyle. She still could not get over the fact that she was a mother. Even after two whole weeks, it hadn't sunken in yet that this beautiful, sweet baby boy was hers. She placed him in his new crib, then winced as the bathroom door banged open.

"What's up, Claire? Hey, Lyle."

She turned and shushed him. "Sawyer!" she hissed. "He's trying to sleep."

"Well, sorry," he replied in a tone that suggested that he was not in the least apologetic. "How long exactly am I going to need to tiptoe around my house so I don't wake the little brat?"

"Your house!"

"Same difference. Where's Kate?"

"Having lunch with Jack, not that that's any of your business."

Sawyer chuckled. "You sure can be a real spitfire sometimes, darling. See ya!"

Claire fumed after him as he went out the front door. Normally, she didn't let Sawyer bother her, but this time he had struck a nerve. Though he had no right to call Hurley's apartment his house, Claire realized that she didn't either. Sighing, she made a mental note to discuss that with Charlie when he got home.

_Charlie._ Thinking of him calmed her considerably. She had been extremely surprised at his willingness to share the duties of parenting the baby. He had even mentioned maybe adopting Lyle, though she wasn't sure how serious he was. Still, though nothing official was going on between them, Claire knew that Charlie had become an inseparable part of both her life and Lyle's. In her heart, they were a real family.

-

Kate laughed happily. She had been very much enjoying her recent lunches with Jack. Two weeks ago as they lay together on the balcony watching the rain, they had discussed their relationship. Together, they decided to stay close, but not to move too quickly. In other words, they would be simply very good friends for now. Kate still hung on to the "for now" part. She knew that she would eagerly anticipate them getting closer.

However, this was good in a way. Now that all the pressure was taken off, Jack was much more relaxed. This was very good in Kate's opinion. It meant that he was able to be the sweet, charming, man that he really was.

This was such a nice experience for her that she nearly was able to forget that she was to be tried for murder in just a few short weeks. Nearly.

"Miss Bradley! Miss Bradley! A moment of your time, please!"

The smile left Kate's face as she turned to see an intent reporter thrusting a microphone at her. Behind the reporter was a man holding a camera who was rapidly zooming in on her face.

"Miss Bradley, are you guilty? Is this all a setup? Could you have really killed three men in cold blood? Miss Bradley?"

Kate took a deep breath. "Please leave me alone."

The camera swirled to face Jack and the reporter pounced on him. "What is your name? How are you associated with Miss Bradley? Do you think she's innocent?"

Jack's eyes widened. "I… Um…"

Angrily, Kate stood up and pushed the reporter aside. "We're leaving, Jack. Come on." He got up and followed her out to his car, leaving behind the check. He handed her the keys and she drove rapidly to an empty side street in the nice neighborhood. She stopped the car as her cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

Kate groaned as she heard the voice of her elderly lawyer, Mr. Sam Burnham. "What were you thinking, Katherine? Can you imagine the publicity? You look like an easily-angered…"

"I don't need a lecture."

"I think you do. You have to behave properly now, you must act kind and innocent and willing to talk to reporters and…"

"Look, I just can't! I cannot do that! I hate them all! Don't you see them? They follow me everywhere!" She was screaming now. "I can't get any peace! Just leave me alone!"

She slammed the phone closed and broke into tears. Jack worriedly leaned over and put his arm around her. "Kate, you didn't tell me it was that bad."

"I didn't want to bother you… You seemed so happy for once."

"What's been going on?"

"They've been following me. They wait outside Hurley's apartment; they wait outside Sam's office… They're everywhere."

"Can I help you in any way?"

"No." She drew a deep breath and waited until she could speak normally again. "There' nothing anyone can do except me." She braved a smile and gently took his arm from around her shoulders, resting it on the console. She stalled, however, in removing her hand from his.

She turned and looked up at him, struggling to keep that smile on her face. "Jack, I'm not kidding myself. They're following me because they already know the verdict of my trial. They already know the sentence. I make a good story, that's all. The sweet little innocent, happy girl who kills her lover, robs a back, and murders three others. The girl who ends up being put to death after running for years and somehow surviving a plane crash. It's sad, it's ironic, and it'll hold people's attention for maybe five minutes before they move on to something else. That's why they're following me." She forced a smile and a laugh, then looked away from him.

Jack, however, was horrified. "Kate, don't say that. You have a chance, you…"

"Jack. Don't try. It's okay. I can deal."

"It'll be hard, Kate…"

"I know. That's why I can't see you again. You have a whole life her, Jack. I'm not going to screw that up. Goodbye."

She leaned closer to softly kiss him goodbye. To her surprise, he took her in his arms and kissed her harder. For a moment, she let herself get caught up in his kiss and not think about duty or fate. Finally, against her will, she pushed him away. "Goodbye," she whispered, her breathing still ragged. She handed him the keys and hurriedly got out of the car.

He sadly watched her rushing away, knowing that this goodbye would not be the end of their story.

-

Claire looked up expectantly as the door opened and Charlie walked in. Quickly, she rose and went over to him. "Hey. I missed you." She pulled him close and kissed him, hard.

He kissed her back, then gently broke the kiss. As he spoke, he ran his hands through her long hair. "Claire, I was talking with my lawyer today…"

"Wait – you have a lawyer here?"

He laughed. "Now I do. He said that now that I'm clean and I have a steady job with good pay, I can really adopt Lyle." Claire stepped back a moment, completely shocked. A worried look came to Charlie's face. "I'm sorry. Is that a bad thing?"

Claire shook her head vehemently. "Of course not. I love you, Charlie. I think you would make an amazing father. But are you sure that you want that? I mean,you had a whole life here. Are you sure that you want to give that up." "

"I'm not an addict any longer. Claire, this is finally my chance to step up and be a strong, capable provider. I can be a good father." He paused and looked at her intently, lowering his voice to nearly a whisper. "I can be a good husband."

Claire gasped as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold ring with a tiny diamond on it. "Do you want to give it a go, Claire?"

* * *

Next chapter: The government gets involved. I'm going to do the next one in a pretty different format than how I usually write, but I think it will be interesting.

Please keep reviewing!


	12. Spotlight

More thanks to** Cas85, kate and jack, rain1657, Oreata, Evermore, FanOfLOST, litgal, showmethehobbit, CharlieClaireforlife, **and** smilez4eva** for their reviews!

**Cas85**: The site I looked on said that Lyle meant "of the island", but I'm not sure how completely accurate it was. As a student of some foreign languages, what you were saying definitely makes sense. However, at this point making it Delyle would be kind of pointless and would sound strange, so Lyle it will remain!

Due to work overload, I'll unfortunately have to say that I'll no longer be able to promise updates on a specific day. I will try to get the next three chapters up in no more than four weeks, however.

Also, I would like to just explain that this chapter is going to be in a unique format – you will see everything from the p.o.v. of a slightly nosy man who is recording the events of a government inquiry into the plane crash. After this chapter, the story style will go back to normal. In addition, I will make up last names of some characters. If I unintentionally make up a name that is already known, feel free to let me know so I can go back and edit it.

**Disclaimer:** As you know by now, I do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Spotlight**

* * *

**FBI Official Transcript: Oceanic Flight 815 Crash Investigation**

As recorded by **Agent Frank Pierson**

15:00

2/25/05

_In a competent, joint project, the governments of the United States and Australia will proceed to investigate the circumstances which led to the tragic crash of Oceanic Flight # 815. Today, the crash survivors have been assembled to discuss the occurrences that day in order to both create a logical sequence of events as well as to clear up the circulating rumors concerning a dream connection on a lost island._

_At this point, fourteen of the survivors have been located and are seated before a panel of investigators from both countries. Also in attendance are some of the area's leading pioneers in the fields of medicine, psychology, technology, and aeronautics. Perhaps most notable is Dr. Ethan Rom, who The proceedings begin at exactly 15:04._

**Chief Investigator Howard Robson (henceforth known as "CI"): **Thank you all for coming here today. As you know, it has been a month since the fatal day of the crash. We have decided that you have had some time at this point to deal with this trauma and answer more detailed questions. We have no choice at this point but to begin a thorough investigation. We will do this with the full participation and cooperation of the government of Australia. Now, if you do not mind, I will begin by asking each one of you what you recall of that day up to the point when you lost consciousness. I begin with Dr. Jack Shepard.

_Each survivor gives an account of their recollections – nothing new or valuable is learned. Now, we get to this interesting part: the dream._

**CI: **As you probably know, there have been numerous rumors buzzing around concerning an odd dream that all fourteen of you claim to have experienced during your comas.

**CI:** Is it true, Dr. Shepard, that as a result of "recollections" from this dream, you paid the hundreds of thousands in bail for Ms Bradley's release?

**Shepard:** Yes, sir, it is.

**CI:** What caused you to do this?

**Shepard: **Well, I had really gotten to know her and I felt, and still feel, that regardless of her past she is a good person at heart and I thought that she deserved another chance.

**CI:** And how did you come to know her so well?

**Shepard:** We worked together closely on the island.

_The CI raises his eyebrows, as do all others on the panel and in the audience. Dr. Shepard looks down, obviously embarrassed by their reaction to his statement. It seems that he has thought many times about the seeming lunacy of this action, and it gives him much worry. Ms Bradley blushes red, slightly upset that she has caused the doctor to be put into this situation._

**CI: **Dr. Shepard, as a result of this supposed "dream island" connection, do you feel that you are actually in love with Ms Katherine Bradley, an alleged murderess?

_The doctor hesitates a moment, then clears his throat. Ms Bradley looks up at him with hope and wonder clearly written on her face. _

**Shepard: **Um, yes.

_Incredulously, the CI turns to Ms Bradley._

**CI:** And you feel the same?

**Bradley: **Yes.

_She speaks softly, cut off when the back door bangs as Nurse Lorraine Reiners abruptly leaves the room. Ms Bradley winces and looks down, abashed, until Dr. Shepard takes her hand under the table and squeezes it. She looks up at him and he gives her a sad smile. Interesting dynamic there. I Those in attendance wonder what exactly is going on here. It seems as if the couple themselves aren't completely sure._

_Meanwhile, the CI is shaking his head in wonder, then moves on to the woman and man seated on Ms Bradley's right. He is gently stroking her hair, as she taps her fingers nervously on the table. As her left hand moves, a gold ring with a small diamond catches the light._

**CI:** Miss Claire Littleton, what effect has the dream had on your life?

**Littleton:** I'd have to say that it has had many effects.

**CI:** Let me get more specific. Firstly, why did you run away from the hospital when you were due to have your child in just days?

**Littleton:** The doctor in charge of me was not a good man. He had been virtually holding me prisoner there. I had to get out. Charlie was the only one who could help me.

**CI: **Mr. Pace, you helped this woman to leave a hospital though she required intensive care?

**Pase:** In my view, I had no choice. The doctor was very threatening and cold – I knew that he was a bad man. He even tried to kill Claire and I!

**CI: **When was this?

**Pase:** It was on… on the island.

_Halfway through his statement, Mr. Pase seems to realize how absurd his statement sounds. He mumbles the last part softly but audibly. The CI makes a great effort not to roll his eyes as he turns back to Miss Littleton. _

**CI: **After you left the hospital, what happened with your baby?

**Littleton: **Charlie and I went to stay with Hurley and Sawyer. In Hurley's apartment, Dr. Shepard delivered my son, Lyle, four weeks ago. Since then, Charlie has moved to adopt the baby so that we can raise him together.

_The CI makes a note, then turns to the man on Charlie's right. He is a large man who has an earnestness about him that is inviting._

**CI: **Mr. Hugo Victor, do you believe that you know the people you are currently seated with because of a dream island?

**Victor:** Yes.

**CI:** Is this why you took people who were otherwise complete strangers, including a very pregnant woman on the run from a doctor she had no previous knowledge of and a known killer, into your home?

**Victor:** It is.

_The CI refrains from commenting. All are impressed by Mr. Victor's straightforward, honest manner despite the craziness of what he is actually saying._

**CI: **Next,Mr. Sawyer? Is that your real government name?

**Sawyer:** Frankly, its nobody's business but my own what my name used to be. To your question, it is my name now, sir.

_The CI looks slightly taken aback, but decides to drop the issue. After all, we already have a murderess seated here, why pry into a petty forgery?_

**CI: **Do you believe that you know the people you are currently seated with because of a dream island?

**Sawyer:** Yes, I do.

**CI: **Mr. John Locke, do you believe that you know the people you are currently seated with because of a dream island?

_Mr. Locke looks wary. It seems that he has figured out that the CI and the audience all think that the people who claim to know each other from the island are a little insane. He cocks his head thoughtfully, seemingly trying to come up with an acceptable yet truthful answer._

**Locke: **I do remember all these people from an island that was stalked by a monster and a seeming group of savages. Somehow, I was able to make good judgments of people from this that seem to ring true. How this is possible, I cannot fathom. However, I am confident that the dream was just caused because our minds had hoped beyond hope that we would crash onto an island and not into the sea. In addition, we would have noted our fellow passengers and formed impressions of them, which is why they appeared in the dream. In conclusion, I feel that the entire event was due to a series of complex psychological factors.

_Mr. Locke looks quite satisfied with himself. The CI nods his agreement._

**CI:** That is an extremely good point, Mr. Locke. It is precisely because of those psychological implications that I am recommending all seven of you that have spoken thus far to go to some heavy psychological counseling.

_Mr. Sawyer raises an eyebrow and winks at Dr. Shepard when he hears this pronouncement. The doctor shoots him a dirty look back. _

_After noting a recommendation for psychological counseling for them, the CI turns to Michael._

**CI: **And you, sir. When you awoke, did you recall knowing these people from an island haunted by monsters?

_The CI sounds incredulous, as if he is sick of hearing about the psychological afflictions of crash survivors dreams. He seems to be hoping that at least some of the passengers had come to their senses concerning the dream. Michael Bond seems to sense this from the judge. He looks back into the audience at his young son, Walt, and comes to a decision. It seems that he has decided that what he thinks he experienced is not worth being declared possibly unfit for caring for his son._

**Bond:** Neither my son nor I know anything about an island or monsters or the like. Except on the plane and in the hospital, I have no knowledge of these other people.

_The other survivors look at him in shock. They had obviously not been expecting that as they seem to think they know him. However, it seems that among those who have not yet spoken, this seems like quite a good tactic. The Korean couple seated next to Mr. Bond, named Jin and Sun, deny any knowledge of the incident. Rather, she denies for both of them as he apparently cannot speak English. _

**CI:** Mr. Boone and Miss Shannon Rommely, do you believe that you know the people you are currently seated with because of a dream island?

**B. Rommely:** Absolutely not, Sir. My sister and I both have no ideas about any dream island.

_Miss Rommely looks hesitant, but begins to nod accordance with her brother after he kicks her in the shin. The CI moves on, glad to have found what seems to be a more down-to-earth group of survivors who are not under the influence of some strange island dream._

**CI:** Mr. Sayid Rahim, do you believe that you know the people you are currently seated with because of a dream island?

**Rahim:** Yes. I know all of these people.

**CI: **You know them, or you dreamed about them? There is a great difference, Mr. Rahim.

**Rahim:** I am aware of that. I know them.

_There is a murmur through the audience. It seems that everyone had thought that we were done with the psychos people who still believed that they had had a connection on a dream island. Miss Rommely's mouth drops open and she blinks in surprise. The CI notes this and turns back to her._

**CI:** I would like your statement, Miss. Do _you_ believe that you know the people you are currently seated with because of a dream?

_Miss Rommely looks frantically from her brother's wary face to Mr. Rahim's pleading look. It seems as if these two had some sort of romantic relationship, either in real life or on the fictitious island._

**S. Rommely: **I… I… I don't know. I don't remember. I don't… I;m sorry.

_Both Mr. Rommely and Mr. Rahim look down, hurt. Miss Rommely glances back and forth between them and looks pained. _

**CI:** That is all. I ask the people who mentioned recalling others from the dream island to follow my instructions and get some help. Otherwise, everyone seems to be in good shape. Also, please recall that all of your presences will be required in Australia for their hearing in exactly three weeks time. We will provide transportation, do not worry about that. AT this time, this interview is at an end. Thank you for you time and cooperation.

_The fourteen move to rise and collect their bags and papers. In the audience, renowned obstetrician Dr. Ethan Rom hurriedly gets up and quietly leaves the room, as if he does not want to be noticed._

_As they exit the building, press photographers quickly snap their cameras. The fourteen survivors here are greeted by flashing lights and noisy reporters. Ms Bradley winces and seems to nearly shy away, but Dr. Shepard takes her and pulls her close to him, attempting to shield her with his own body. Mr. Pase places his arm around Miss Littleton and escorts her rapidly away from the crowd, presumably to get her back to her son, Lyle Littleton._

_Each group goes their own separate way. We will see them again in Australia. The question of the validity of the dream island still hangs in the air, unanswered. It is unlikely, of course, but still… Some of these people acted in ways completely inconsistent with their previous characters in order to aid people who should have been complete strangers to them. Perhaps this did result from some sort of psychological need to bond, as Mr. Locke suggested. Or, perhaps, something strange really did happen to the survivors of that plane crash. Either way, we may never know._

_This is the conclusion of the United States Government Investigation of the Oceanic Flight #815 crash._

* * *

Next chapter: Kate's trial is finally here and Ethan is back on the trail. After this, only two more chapters to go!

Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	13. Regroup

More thanks to** October Sky, CharlieClaireforlife, showmethehobbit, The Pirate Illusionist, a.k.a.-ashley, rain1657, smilez4eva, jackkate, litgal, kate and jack, **and **Lilywriter** for their reviews!

Again, sorry for the delay in posting. My workload has been really tough of late, but I finally got the chance to write today!

Note: In the next two chapters, Kate's trial is going to go by really quickly. I know that this is factually incorrect for how long a complicated trial such as hers would take, but I don't know that anyone really wants to read about an entire case word for word and also it would mess up my timeline of events for the trial to go to long. For these reasons, please suspend you disbelief where this is concerned.

Also, sorry for messing up some of the last names in the last chapter, I had trouble finding reliable sources for this information.

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Regroup**

Claire sat up in bed, clutched Lyle, and began to scream at the top of her lungs. "Charlie! Charlie!"

He immediately ran in from the kitchen and gathered her in his arms."Oh my God, Claire, what is it?"

"Ethan! He was looking at me. I saw him through the window! Oh, Charlie, he wants Lyle, I know it."

"Calm down, dear. It was probably just a dream, a nightmare…"

"I know what I saw, Charlie. It was really him."

Charlie looked at her contemplatively. He was pretty sure that Ethan could not have found them and had no reason to continue chasing them, but he didn't want to belittle what Claire claimed to have seen. "Okay, Claire, I'll tell Hurley and Sawyer when they wake up and we'll all be on the lookout for them."

"We should tell everyone, just in case."

"Okay, good idea. Where's Jack?"

"Remember? Today is Kate's trial. He promised her that he'd be there to support her."

"Hurley and Sawyer are going as well. We should, too."

"Are you sure that would be safe, Charlie? I mean, you know that Kate is like a sister to me, but with Ethan chasing us…"

Charlie fought down the smile of skepticism that was coming to his face and asserted, "We'll be fine if we take the right precautions. Just trust me, okay?"

Claire looked up at him confidently. "I trust you with my life, Charlie."

He smiled and kissed her. "We're going to be fine, I'm sure of it."

* * *

Across town, Jack knocked at the door of Lorraine's apartment. As he waited for her to answer the door, he glanced again at his watch and began to tap his foot impatiently. He had been getting ready to go to Kate's trial when he 

"I don't think that you even love me any more."

"Don't be ridiculous Lorraine."

"I'm not being ridiculous! This is serious. We need to talk about it."

"I completely agree. When I come back…"

"No! We need to talk about it now. Jack, I'm your girlfriend. We're supposed to get engaged and get married and be happy together! I should be the first priority in your life."

"Lorraine, I made a promise to my friend and I intend to keep it."

Lorraine laughed bitterly. "Your friend? You don't even know her. She's a killer and she deserves to die."

Jack glared at her, trying to remain somewhat calm despite his anger. "That is none of your business! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere that I need to be." He turned and began to walk towards the door.

"Jack Shepard!" He froze, hearing the intensity in her voice. "Jack, if you walk out that door, you don't ever bother coming back here."

Jack spun back to look at her. She was livid and upset, but he could see that she meant what she said. He paused for a moment to consider. _What are my real priorities?_ He considered the possibility of letting down Kate, of causing her to stand alone with the media and the cameras that she hated so much. His heart ached just thinking about it. Then, he considered the idea of never seeing Lorraine again. It came to mind that he couldn't care less. He was shocked as this realization hit him. Nevertheless, he knew that it was true beyond a doubt. He loved Kate with all his heart, and he realized that he had no business maintaining any type of romantic relationship with anyone else.

He cleared his throat and looked up directly into Lorraine's eyes. "I'm sorry, Lorraine. I have to do this."

She was obviously shocked by this response. "You told me that you loved me!"

"Everything has changed since then. I've changed.

He opened the door to leave. Before closing the door behind him, he turned one last time and said simply, "I'm sorry."

He then walked out too quickly to hear Lorraine mutter, "Sorry? No you're not. Not now, anyway. But, trust me, Jack Shepard. You will be."

* * *

"Danielle, it's time for a walk." 

Danielle fought down the fear that accompanied his appearance that she still had not been able to get over. "I don't believe that patients of the psychiatric ward are allowed to leave the grounds, Dr. Rom."

"If they are with a head doctor, they may receive special permission to go out."

"I'd much rather not."

"Well, that's really too bad. It's not your choice. Let's go."

Danielle stubbornly refuses to leave her chair. "Danielle, don't try me. Come now, I'm trying to do you a favor?"

She looked up at him skeptically. "What favor?"

"Well, as soon as you help me get that Lyle brat, I will allow you to visit Alex."

"Lyle?"

"That's what Claire named her son."

"How do you know that?"

"I have my ways. Now, are you coming? Think of Alex, Danielle."

Danielle could not control the shaking of her fingers. "O… Okay. I'm coming."

"Good. And this time, we're not going to screw it up."

* * *

Jack walked into the courtroom and took a seat in the back row. He looked around him and the rest of the audience and was quite surprised. 

He saw Charlie and Claire seated in front of him. He was slightly confused but the fact that Charlie had his hood pulled over his head and that Claire was clutching Lyle to her chest and had wrapped a shawl around her head. It looked as if they were hiding from someone, when in reality this odd manner of dressing made them stand out even more. Regardless, though, Jack knew that Kate would appreciate their coming to support her.

Near them, he saw Hurley, Sawyer, and Locke, who weren't great surprises to him. He was surprised, however, to see Jin, Sun, Michael, Walt, Boone, Shannon, and Sayid all seated across from him. It gave him a strange kind of comfort to know that, despite anything they might have said at the hearing, everyone had come to support Kate.

* * *

Finally, the door opened and Kate walked in with her lawyers. She looked serious and a little scared until she looked over and saw all her unexpected friends from the island. This calmed her down greatly, though she wasn't completely sure as to why. When she saw Jack there, she even half-smiled.

Just two weeks ago, she had been confident that it was over with him. Then, at that government investigation, he had declared that he was in love with her. Unfortunately, that very day she had been forced to leave Hurely's apartment and go back to the prison, where it had been deemed "safe" for her. She hadn't been able to see Jack since, and she had honestly been worried that he may have begun to regret his words. Seeing him here seemed to confirm his feelings, and that made her inexplicably more optimistic about the next couple of days, which would doubtless be difficult.

Suddenly, she froze. There was a man in the very last row who looked strangely familiar. She narrowed her eyes and gasped. _What is Ethan doing here! _

The optimism quickly faded, giving way to a cold, dark feeling that she couldn't shake.

* * *

Just two more chapters left now! Next chapter: Kate's trial is finally here and Ethan is back on the trail. 

Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	14. Crash

Thanks again to** October Sky, CharlieClaireforlife, showmethehobbit, The Pirate Illusionist, a.k.a.-ashley, rain1657, smilez4eva, jackkate, litgal, kate and jack, **and **Lilywriter** for their reviews!

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own any of these characters.

* * *

**Crash**

Later…

Silence fell over the room as the jury filed in solemnly. Kate balled her fists and dug her nails into her palms.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

"We have, your honor. The people in the room collectively heald their breaths.

"We find the defendant guilty of all charges."

Kate's face turned ashen. She knew what was coming next, and she wasn't ready for it.

"The sentence is death by lethal injection."

Her world went black.

* * *

Jack ran. He didn't know where he was headed, and he really didn't care. He didn't care about anything at this point. He kept running until the crashing of his footsteps had pounded out every ounce of anger and disappointment and fear. Until all that was left was numbness.

Finally stopping to take in his surroundings, he realized that he was across town at the hospital where he had his medical practice. He had taken off for today, but at the moment burying himself in his work seemed like a good idea. Walking briskly into the building and up the steps, he tried to catch his breath and regain his composure.

He faked a smile for the secretary as he checked in, but she just frowned at him. "Dr. Shepard," she said shaking her head. "I suggest you go directly to speak with Dr. Patters."

Jack was confused. Dr. Patters was the hospital's new chief of surgery. He went directly to the office and knocked. Dr. Patters allowed him in, but looked very unhappy about it. "Can I help you, Shepard?" he asked irritably.

"Sir? What's going on? Why is everyone acting strange?"

"Have you been home today? Have you picked up your cell phone?"

"No, I'm sorry. I've had some, um, personal issues."

"Well, then I suppose I'll tell you face to face. You are fired and your license to practice surgery is in the process of being revoked."

"What!" For the second time that day, Jack felt as if his world was crashing down around him. "Why?"

"Your girlfriend, Lorraine, finally reported you today. She told us all what has been happening."

"What?"

"About your recent drinking problems. Apparently that runs in your family, Shepard. Still, I'd have thought that you would have learned a lesson from what happened to your father. But I guess not. Lorraine told us all about how it's been causing your impaired judgment and even your confessions of near slip-ups in surgeries. In addition, she told us about your little problem with embezzling the hospital's money."

"Neither of those are true, though!"

"Miss Reiners had evidence Dr. Shepard. She gave us many papers documenting the embezzling…"

"All forged!"

"I don't believe that. Moreover, there is ample evidence of you developing a drinking problem. Did you or did you not pay bail for and then take in a murderess? Did you or did you not skip work to go to her trial? Did you or did you not speak publicly about knowing people from some dream, thereby discrediting and embarrassing the staff of this hospital? Can you deny any of this?"

"No, Sir, but…"

"I don't want to hear it. Your personal belongings have been shipped home. Now, if you would kindly get the hell out of this hospital and never come back." Dr. Patters coupled a dismissive hand motion with a sneer of contempt, then went back to his work.

In silence, Jack walked out of the hospital. Wordlessly and near-thoughtlessly, he wandered back to his mother's house. Objectively, he knew that he was in a state of shock. Deborah opened the door, took one look at him, and immediately came running out to him. "Jack! Oh my God, are you okay? What happened?"

He was silent. She ushered him inside to the living room. "Here, come sit down. You can talk to us?"

"Us?" he echoed softly. "Yes, you'll be so happy to know who's here, you can talk to her, too."

Jack froze as he saw the woman who was sitting on the couch. It was Lorraine. All the shock and numbness in him finally gave way to pure, unbridled anger. His voice dropped, low and dangerous, as he near hissed, "How dare you come here after what you did."

She stood up, alarmed, but faked a smile for Deborah. When she spoke, she sounded sweet and innocent. "Why, Jack, we weren't expecting you home. After what I did, Jack? I don't know what you are talking about."

"You ruined my career!"

Deborah looked confused. "What?"

"Jack, are you okay?" Turning to Deborah, Lorraine added, "I don't know what's going on, Ms Shepard. Maybe he's still upset from our big breakup the other night."

"You broke up with him!"

"No, he broke up with me. Maybe he hasn't been in his right mind for awhile. It might explain these bizarre accusations he's making now."

"Shut up, Lorraine, you know what you did."

"Jack!" Deborah exclaimed scoldingly. She had always been a big fan of Lorraine.

"No, I don't. I think that we were perfectly fine together. Better than your new girlfriend anyway." She grinned. "At least I'm not going to die within the month."

Jack couldn't control himself after this. He stepped forward and slapped her. "You bitch! How dare you say that!"

"Jack! What is wrong with you?"

Lorraine whimpered and rushed out of the house. Deborah followed her, "Lorraine! Come back, darling. Lorraine!" It was too late. Deborah whirled on her son. "Get out of this house. You want to throw your life away, go ahead. But don't involve me in it."

"Mom, let me explain…"

"Get out!"

Jack saw that there was no use in arguing with her. Slowly, he walked out the door. AT the last moment, he turned and said, "No matter what happens, I love you, Mom."

Her response was to slam the door in his face. After a moment's reflection, however, she opened it and whispered to his receding figure, "I love you too, my son." She sadly walked inside, thinking that he hadn't heard her.

He had.

* * *

Across town, Charlie was rushing back to the apartment, clutching his new possession under his coat. Claire was home with Lyle, sobbing hysterically, no doubt. At least she would have everyone else from the island there to comfort her and to cry with her. Charlie didn't want to show his emotions like that. He gathered all his fear and anger at Ethan and at Kate's sentence and he went downtown to purchase an illegal firearm. He was determined to keep his fledgling family safe by any means necessary.

Dark was coming quickly to LA that night. Charlie picked up his pace. He had finally reached the front of his building safely. He moved to open the door when he heard a small snap. He whirled around, readying his gun. He saw nothing. He began to turn when the door behind him flew open. Claire rushed out into his arms. "Oh, Charlie – I was so nervous! Everyone has been wonderful staying here with us, but I wanted you here."

"Well, everything will be okay now, I promise."

Claire smiled. "Good." Gently, she disengaged herself from him and went to move past him.

"Claire, where are you going?" he asked, nervously.

She laughed at this. "Oh, Charlie, calm down. I'm just going to get the paper, silly."

Still hesitant, he watched her as she walked down to the street corner. The darkness made him antsy.

Suddenly, a figure appeared directly next to Claire. She began to scream, but a strong hand gripped her mouth. "Where is the baby?" hissed Ethan.

* * *

Jack was walking slowly to Hurley's. He had nothing left in his life at this point, and these were the only friends he knew. He froze momentarily when he saw a man forcibly restraining a terrified Claire. There was also the vague outline of a woman with wild hair in the nearby bushes, but he ignored her. He ran towards them and shoved all his weight into the strange man.

Ethan dropped Claire in shock. Jack grabbed him and punched him in the face. Angrily, Ethan howled and again made a grab for Claire. Jack moved in on him again, when he heard Charlie scream from the porch, "Jack, get out of the way!"

Jack flung himself to the ground just in time to see a series of bullets rush by and bury themselves in Ethan's chest. The doctor crumpled to the ground, dead. Jack and Claire rose, horrified, unable to take their eyes off the body. Charlie, too, remained frozen in place. None of them moved until blaring sirens approached. Jack put his arm around Claire to lead her inside while Charlie was taken in by the police.

"Letg me go, Claire. I'll be okay – just take care of Lyle!"

Despite his words, Claire tried to rush to him. Jack tightened his grip and stopped her. "Jack!" she cried, struggling. "I want to be with him now!"

"You can't," he said simply. "Lyle needs you now. We all need you."

"You wouldn't understand!" Claire hissed. "I love him. He can't take all this blame."

Jack stopped and faced her. "I love her, Claire."

Her eyes widened with understanding and regret for her harsh comment.

"Claire, I'm sorry. But right now, there's nothing we can do."

"Oh, Jack, our lives are falling down around us! I feel even more helpless than the day that we crashed onto that island."

He hugged her sadly. "And there's still absolutely nothing we can do."

* * *

Last chapter: We finally find out the truth.

Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	15. Mandala

A final thanks to** rain1657, October Sky, a.k.a.-ashley, Lilywriter, xpunkprincessx, CharlieClaireforlife, litgal, showmethehobbit, Cas85, **and **FluteMarcher**.

**Disclaimer:** As I'm sure you know by know, I do not own any of these characters.

A/N: Okay, I know it took awhile to write this chapter, but I wanted to be able to do a good job wrapping up everything and leaving no loose ends. For this purpose, this chapter is longer than any of the others.

"Mandala" is a word meaning circle. You will see the significance of that in this chapter.

* * *

**Mandala**

The twelve islanders who still remained free sat dejectedly in the cramped living room of Hurley's apartment. Claire sobbed softly and clutched Lyle to her as one would clutch a life raft in the midst of a tremendous, dark, cold ocean. He was the only thing in her life that she still recognized, that she could still cling to. He was her one last thread of hope.

Jack looked at his shoes sadly. He felt alone and more lost than ever. It had been just three hours since Charlie's arrest, but it felt as if he had been sitting there with the others for over days.

No one said a word. Everyone sat to contemplate the state of their lives. They had thought that being stranded on an island had been the end of their lives. They had all thought that they would find salvation in being rescued, in going back to the real world. In effect, they had been rescued. But their lives lay in pieces, shattered beyond recognition. The lengthy coma had cost jobs, relationships, and even life's purpose for some. They all knew that a dream shouldn't have that much effect on people's lives. But it did.

When the phone rang out in the silence, everyone jumped. Hurley rose slowly and cautiously answered it. All were apprehensive.

"Hello? Yes… Yes, we're all here, except Kate and Charlie… Okay, that would be great… Yeah, see you there tomorrow. You'll bring them to meet us?... Good. Good night."

Hurley turned and for the first time all day a smile graced his face. "Well, it's not a permanent solution, but we have some time. That was Chief Investigator Robson. The investigation team in Australia needs to interview us, remember? That means that all of us and Charlie and Kate get to fly to Sydney and spend a week there."

"And when we get home?"

Hurley's face darkened momentarily. "Well, then everything will be back to normal. But we have a week's time to try to get ourselves together. We can all spend time with Kate before… Well, you know. Charlie can see his family again; maybe you two can even get married there."

It was Claire's turn to smile. "That would be amazing."

"Okay, so we're all set to go?"

Everyone nodded their assent. It would be nice to have a respite from the barrage of troubles that had become each of their lives.

* * *

Three days later, the twelve arrived to the special government plane that would take them to Sydney. It was a small plane that would seat only about fifty people – the forty-six survivors (all of whom were coming this time) and the armed marshal who would be guarding mainly Kate, but also Charlie. 

The plane was little used, and the area surrounding it was deserted for most of the time. This was how no one noticed when two figures silently boarded the plane without being noticed.

No one saw anything unusual as they approached the plane, but none could help feeling more than a little apprehensive, given their past experience on a plane together. Most of the people went towards the back of the plane, leaving the fourteen most prominent survivors to sit together in the front.

Claire was the last of them to board the plane. She had strapped Lyle into his seat and was prepared to sit down when she heard a voice softly speak her name. Her face lit up, and she whirled around to see her beloved Charlie.

Without a word, she grabbed him and kissed him as hard as she could. She felt the fear and anger in her evaporate in that kiss until she felt only him.

When she finally pulled back, breathless, she whispered, "I love you, I love you. Don't ever leave again, Charlie, please."

He pressed his lips against hers again, surprised at how much he had missed her during their brief separation. He pressed his hand against hers, feeling for the ring that would reassure him of the promise of spending an eternity with her.

* * *

Outside, the marshal, assured that Kate would not attack any of her friends and had no weapons of any kind, allowed her to move freely so long as he could see her and have his weapon at the ready. Kate held herself steady as she boarded the plane and slowly walked down the aisle. She looked with mild interest with Locke, who seemed to be having trouble walking. She passed the still-embracing Charlie and Claire and feigned a smile. She was happy for them, but could not muster enough positive feeling to be happy about anything in this time. 

She struggled to maintain her calm façade as the seconds it took her to walk the length of the small plane began to feel like hours or maybe even centuries. She was reminded of that horrible nightmare where she was going down a long hall with no end where everything seemed to drift in and out of focus and fade to blackness. As soon as she saw Jack standing at his seat, however, she rushed forward and collapsed into his arms.

Once she finally started to release her pent-up emotions, she found it near impossible to stop. Tears began to flow from her eyes and her chest heaved with sobs. Jack clenched her tighter, trying to somehow help shoulder all of her pain and terror.

"Get in your seats," barked the marshal, who then proceeded to the very back of the plane.

Jack and Kate sunk down together. He kept his arms tightly around her body as she twisted to lay her head on his chest.

The pilot soon made the announcement that, "Flight #518 leaving LAX." If anyone recognized the significance of this number, they did not show it. At this point, none could handle more nervousness and stress.

* * *

Over ten hours later, not much had changed. 

Walt was growing fidgety. "This is _so_ boring!" he whined.

Michael smiled. "Come on, Walt, you weren't this vocal on the flight to LA."

"Well, there we crashed, that was interesting. More importantly, though, we had food and a movie. We don't have anything like that on this little government plane. I mean, it only fits twenty people!"

Claire leaned towards him, smiling. She had been in a great mood since her reunion with her fiancé. "Well, Walt, would you like to play a game?"

"What good games are there?"

Shannon smiled thoughtfully. "When I was younger, we always would play six degrees of separation. You know, with like, celebrities and stuff."

"You still play that now Shannon," Boone put in, smirking.

"Shut up!"

Walt looked at her curiously. "Well, okay, we can try that one. But celebrities are boring, I don't know any. Let's play it with us."

Charlie looked at him and smiled, willing to indulge in his crazy idea. "Sure, Walt, we can try. I should warn you though, aside from the island I don't know how many connections you'll find between us."

Sayid joined the group, happy to find something to lighten the mood. "Okay, so is everyone playing?"

Sun hesitated, but at a smile from Michael, agreed. Hurley nodded, Sawyer shrugged, and Locke cocked his head as he rubbed his legs and tried to get them to move.

"What about you, Kate?"

Kate looked up from her conversation. She shook her head somberly and turned back to Jack, continuing her statement from before. "The idea of death is just so overwhelming, but I can cope. Worst of all is the idea that I'll be going alone. I had sworn to try my hardest not to let that happen. I… I killed my fiancé. We were driving and laughing and I missed the curve and went off the guardrail… The doctors tried their bet, but couldn't save them. I don't blame them. I blame only myself for the fact that he died alone in an old hospital room."

"Kate, it's not your fault."

"Sure."

"What was his name?"

"Lawrence Ragetta."

Claire gasped and let out a little shriek. Jack's face went ashen. "Oh my God, Kate, his death was not your fault. You made a mistake; you can't blame yourself for a mistake. I was the one who couldn't save his life."

"What?"

"He came into surgery with spinal injuries while I was on duty. I tried to help him, but to no avail. To this day I blame myself for his death."

Claire let out a sigh. "Oh, Jack, that isn't killing someone. You scared me that day when you said you had killed a man. Neither of you are to blame; it was just a tragic twist of fate."

Kate was still in shock. "Talk about fate. So you performed surgery of my fiancé two years ago?"

"Yes."

The others began to murmur amongst themselves. Michael turned to his son. "Well, Walt, looks like maybe it won't be impossible for you to play your game. I knew Laurence Ragetta; he worked with me on a major architectural project."

Walt smiled. He was quickly getting caught up in his game, and missing the significance of what he was discovering. "Well, I'm your son, that's easy. Let's see… I briefly went to the Thompson Boarding School in Australia. Anybody know that?"

Claire meekly raised a hand. "My niece attended there. Her name is Kelsey Ray."

"I knew her! We hung out together while I was there all the time."

"She may have spoken of you in her letters, then. I loved pen pal correspondences. I was constantly writing to her and to this woman whose profession I just could not figure out. She was very vague about it. Helen, I think her name was."

Lock nearly rose out of his seat. "Helen! I loved her. I… I had thought that we had a good relationship going. I spent my days at the box shop trying to get enough money to support her."

Hurley looked over at him. "Box shop? Hey, dude, I owned a box shop."

Locke nodded absently. "Oh, Helen. Maybe if I had kept my job at that wedding catering place…."

It was Boone's turn to interject. "How could I have forgotten, John Locke! Of course. You worked at my mom and my business. And, hmm, now that I think about it, when I went to get Shannon from Australia, I briefly talked to the police. There was this guy there who looked a lot like Sawyer being dragged into a cell."

Sawyer grinned recklessly. "That would have been me. I had been caught trying to con this Korean guy."

"You mean Jin!" Kate asked, getting excited.

"Oh, yeah. Wow, it was him."

"Great memory, Sawyer. You are so impressively observant."

Sun softly began to speak. "Yes, it was you, Sawyer. How I hated you at the time. I had just decided not to leave Jin. I had decided that everything he had done was the fault of working with my father and brother, Ran."

Sayid, who had been silent throughout this interchange, finally spoke up. "It was a man named Ran who aided my Nadia in her escape by donating a good deal of money to the Free Iraqi Women Fund."

Charlie put in, "Wow, Driveshaft supported that charity!"

Claire looked at him in surprise. "I hadn't gotten the impression that you and your band-mates were charitable people back then."

"Our manager suggested it because it would give us a tax break, honestly. At that point, you know, I was so drugged out that I barely knew where my money was going. Once, I almost died when I slipped into a coma. I still thank God for that amazing doctor, Samuel Gonfield."

Jack took in a deep breath. "Sam Gonfield was my best friend in med school."

Walt bounced excitedly in his seat. He could not understand why the adults seemed to be taking things seriously. "This sis great! That makes a circle, right Dad? Right. Let's see.

Jack performed failed surgery on Kate's love (who she killed in a car accident), Laurence, who worked as an architect w/ Michael, whose son is me, and I attended school in Australia with the niece of Claire, whose pen-pal was Helen, who was loved by Locke, who before working for Hurley's box company, worked a brief stint at a catering company that provided food for a wedding planned by Boone and his mother that enabled them to raise enough money to bring Shannon home from Sydney, where her brother encountered Sawyer, who was being taken after trying to swindle Jin, whose marriage to Sun caused him to dirty work for her father, which involved working with her brother, who unknowingly aided Nadia, the love of Sayid, in her escape when he donated money to a charity to aid Iraqi women that was supported by the band of Charlie, who got revived from a heroin-induced coma by the best friend of Jack.

Right?"

"Right," Claire repeated slowly. "You know, it really makes you think. Every day, you encounter hundreds of people who you just pass by. You ignore them and forget them and move on without a thought. But you never know if that man who just beeped his horn at you could be your future husband."

Silence enveloped the plane. All were looking around at each other, seeing themselves in a new light. They had all felt connected, but it was the supposition of all that it was only because of a dream.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by a bang and a yell from the back of the plane. Every person there jumped and screamed. "Not again!" cried Hurley.

Instead of a ripping noise and the roar of a dying engine, however, they heard a man's angry voice and footsteps. They watched intently as the armed marshal dragged a ragged-looking Danielle Rousseau into the main cabin, along with a young, dark-haired boy. He shoved them onto two empty seats and barked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"I'm… I'm so sorry. I am Danielle and this is my son, Alex. We are here because… because we had no choice. We had to get away, his prescience was poisoning us. Ethan! That horrible devil for a man…"

"Woman, you are making no sense. Hey, weren't you in an asylum at some point?"

"I shouldn't have been there, it was all Ethan. It was to his advantage to make us look crazy; he needed it for his business…"

Claire sat bolt upright. "What business?"

"Ethan was a horrible man. He… He sold babies. Sweet, beautiful little babies. All in the illegal adoption trade, he got lots of money from that. That was all he wanted from life, his money. He took Alex years ago; I thank God that I found him again. He wanted your little Lyle, he had him pre-sold, everyone wants little blonde babies. If your Charlie hadn't shot him…"

The marshal interrupted her. "Look, lady, I don't know who you think you are, but I want you to stop spilling this nonsense. Calm down and shut up, got it?"

He waved his gun, and Danielle fell silent. She sat back in her seat and wrapped her arms around her son.

Claire looked at her with the deepest sympathy. "I believe her. I think that what she is saying is true. Ethan wanted Lyle for money."

Locke raised his eyebrows. "Ah. So Ethan had to feed the monster."

"What are you talking about?" Sawyer growled.

"His own, slowly overwhelming greed."

"Sure, whatever. Keep up the philosophy. The point here is that this guy was a total asshole who deserved to die."

Locke began to lecture. "Philosophy is the key to understanding. One must…" He moved to cross his aching legs as he spoke. "I…" A look of panic slowly spread over his face. "Damn it, I can't move my legs!" he yelled.

"Buddy, I think that that's the least of our problems," remarked Hurley.

The rest followed his gaze to the back of the plane, where a rupture was slowly beginning.

Suddenly, there began a sickeningly familiar series of bumps and bangs.

Then, there was blackness once again.

* * *

In Los Angeles, Deborah Shepard was cleaning her home at warp speed. She liked to keep busy during times of tension. Today, however, she was feeling especially bothered by the silence in the house. 

Going into the living room, she flipped on the television to one of her favorite news channels. She proceeded to dust and listen to the news simultaneously, until she heard the binging that signified breaking news. She turned towards the television and watched intently as a dour-looking reporter appeared on the screen. Next to him was a picture of a plane.

"We have just gotten word of a tragic example of cruel irony. Of curse, you all remember the survivors of the brutal crash of Oceanic Flight #815. Today, fourteen of the main survivors boarded Flight # 518 to go to Australia again to testify about this crash. Tragically, the plane crashed in nearly the same spot. Only the pilot and an armed marshal were able to survive the crash. Sadly, all of the survivors were killed, along with a stowaway woman and her son. The cause of the crash is yet unknown. We'll keep you updated, so stay tuned to…"

Deborah reached forward and turned off the television in shock. The silence was welcome now.

She thought of her beloved son. The knowledge that he would not return this time hit her full force, coupled with the strange feeling that, wherever he was, he was happy. She sank to the couch and cried, taking comfort in that and the fact that she had told him that she loved him before he left.

* * *

"We're back!" yelled Walt, jumping up and down excitedly. 

His joyous scream caused the others to rub their eyes and slowly sit up. They found themselves on a familiar beach.

"Look, look!" continued Walt. "Everything's just how we left it!"

Hurley slowly pulled himself up. He saw that he was lying next to his old walkman. He was surprised to see that Walt was right; the little piece of civilization that they had built for themselves in the dream was here.

Danielle reached over to clutch Alex's hand. At any given moment before this, she would have claimed that she would be miserable to find herself back on the island. But now, with Alex, it didn't seem that bad. In fact, it felt like home. She even had the vague notion that maybe, with some searching; she would even find her Robert.

Locke slowly tried to stand up. He was happy to find that his legs were in great condition again. He reached down and picked up one of his spears, fingering it contentedly. "I've been anxious for a good hunt."

He passed by Charlie, Claire, and Lyle. "Oh, Charlie," she was saying. "I can't believe that we are all okay again!"

"Yeah, but I don't know that we'll be able to get off here this time."

"That's okay. We have each other, we have our son, and we have our friends. What more could we want? If we were to be back in LA, Kate would die and you would be locked up and we all would be miserable. Here, there's a chance at happiness, a second shot at a new start."

Charlie smiled. "I suppose you're right. One thing, though: what about the wedding? How will we get married?"

Sawyer came up behind her. "I can be a minister."

"What!"

"Don't ask why or how, but let's just say that I have the proper paperwork."

Upon hearing this, Walt rushed over. In the hours since the crash, he seemed to have a boundless supply of energy. "Can I be the ring-bearer? Please?"

"Of course, Walt."

"Okay, good! I'll go get Kate and Jack and we can have a wedding!"

Somehow, Claire felt that they wouldn't wholly appreciate that at the moment. "How about we have the ceremony at sundown, Walt, okay?"

"Alright."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack and Kate had landed a little apart from the rest of the islanders. They had found their way to Jack's old medical tent. In silence, they walked in and sat on the pile of seats and blankets that had served as a pallet. 

Jack watched Kate. She looked up at him. Suddenly, she broke out into a smile and began to laugh happily.

Her joy bubbled over into Jack, and he joined her in laughing. She turned and pushed him down on the pallet, briefly kissing his lips before lying down next to him and snuggling against him. "We're going to be okay," she said when she could finally speak. "Who would have thought that a plane crash could be such a wonderful occurrence?"

"Yeah, it seems like crashing here saved your life."

Kate looked thoughtful a moment. "Did it? We were here before because we were in comas. Now, we all want to stay here. If we do, wouldn't that mean that we're all…?"

"We don't have to debate that. All in all, it isn't that important, is it? Heaven or hell, life or death, what matters is that we are all here together. What matters is that you are safe and happy. What matters is that I love you."

"And I love you," she echoed.

Jack pulled her closer and began to kiss her once more. Kate reciprocated with all her heart. They both knew that they shared an unbreakable connection that had lasted despite near impossible odds. They were wordlessly resolving to love and stand by each other no matter what came.

The kiss grew more passionate as they slowly removed their clothes until there was nothing between them.

And this time, there were no interruptions.

* * *

Later, Jack and Kate emerged from the tent to find everyone in high spirits. They were delighted to learn of the upcoming wedding. 

The sun had begun to sink under the horizon, setting the sky ablaze with streaks of pink and red and purple. Claire sighed at the beautiful view and picked up the bouquet of flowers given to her by her maid of honor, Kate.

She walked slowly over to where Charlie stood next to Sawyer, Jack, and Kate. She smiled as she said her vows and promised to love Charlie forever. He did likewise.

When they kissed, it was the most magical moment of both of their lives.

At this, everyone yelled and cheered happily. Claire took Lyle from Kate and sat down with her new husband.

They were all intent on having a nice celebration for the newlyweds. Hurley was grateful that he had packed extra batteries in his pocket, just in case. He began playing love songs and cheerful music. Locke was cooking a boar over the large fire he had set up in the center of a ring of longs and mats that could be used as seats.

The islanders laughed and danced and talked merrily, each declaring that they could spend the rest of their time on the island and be happy. Jack and Kate raised their eyebrows at each other, recognizing that many had not realized that this was a probable occurrence.

Locke finished cooking and serving everyone. He stepped back to see the others as a whole. He saw the same faces he had seen in his dream, and he felt that something was going on here beneath the surface that he did not quite understand. He also knew, however, that he would have quite awhile to try to figure it out.

Stepping close, he commented, "So, looks like we're right back where we started."

Many nodded agreement, but none seemed to mind.

Claire and Charlie looked at each other and laughed.

Jack smiled and puts his arm around Kate. "Not exactly."

* * *

So, that's it. I had a great time writing this and I hope that I was able to do a good job wrapping everything up. Please let me know one more time what you thought of this chapter and the story overall. 

Thanks for reading!

Blue Twilight


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